120 
THE FERN PARADISE. 
little cluster, and in the dark shadow of their 
retreat we could not at first be sure that they 
were not the beautiful but commoner Black 
Maidenhair Spleenwort. We knew, however, that 
from the position in which they were growing, it 
was quite possible they might be Asplenium lan- 
ceolatum. With the aid of a long stick, we suc¬ 
ceeded in digging them out; and a close exami¬ 
nation at once gave proof that the plants we had 
discovered were what we had hoped they would 
prove to be. The fronds of the Black Maidenhair 
Spleenwort are always broadest at their base, 
narrowing gradually towards their apex, the spores 
being arranged in lines at the backs of the fronds. 
The fronds of Lanceolatum taper at both ends 
towards their apices and towards their bases, and 
its spores, when ripe, are gathered in little round 
clusters on the backs of its fronds. The distin¬ 
guishing characteristics of this species were 
present in our c find.’ We had previously hunted 
in numerous places in South Devon for Asplenium 
lanceolatum , and had carefully explored several 
of its known habitats, but without being able to 
find a single plant. Those who have experienced 
