DOWN A GREEN LANE ! 
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right, hard by a Brake which spreads its arching 
fronds towards us, a noble specimen of the 
purple-stemmed Lady Fern springs out of the 
hedge-bank, its splendid clusters of fronds, each 
a yard in length, flinging over the scene the 
indescribable gracefulness which is a fit emblem 
of Fern-land. 
And now for a plunge into this glorious lane 
* of lanes. As far as we can see, it appears to melt 
away in shadowy green, as it sinks down over the 
declivity of the hill. For some distance along 
the route, in both hedge-banks, the Lady Ferns 
appear to hold sway. Here is a grand specimen, 
fully four feet long ! and there are many others 
equally grand, and equally beautiful, in- every 
shade of purple stem. Intermingled with them 
and forming a charming variety of fronds, are 
some fine specimens of the Male Fern, of the 
Broad Buckler Fern, with its curling leaflets, and 
of Bracken, the latter towering up to a height of 
eight feet. If we peer between the branches 
which filter the light on the hedge-top, we shall 
find small specimens of the Male Fern, with 
shuttlecock shapes, dark green fronds of the Harts- 
i 2 
