THE MOUNTAIN PARSLEY FERN. 
293 
tufts. They are of a delightful green colour, and 
the whole plant forms a conspicuous ornament 
of the places where it grows. It is sometimes 
called the c Hock Brakes,’ from its habit of 
growing in stony places and on rocks and old 
walls. It grows plentifully in the North of Eng¬ 
land, is also found in Scotland, and abundantly 
in Wales. Some plants have indeed been dis¬ 
covered—so it has been alleged—on Exmoor, 
near Challacombe ; but it is not, strictly speaking, 
a Devonshire Fern. 
In the cultivation of the Parsley Fern one 
thing must be borne in mind, namely, that it can¬ 
not endure stagnant moisture. Indeed it does 
not like too much moisture of any kind, especially 
about its roots. Plant it, if in a pot, in a mix¬ 
ture of sandy peat, leaf-mould, and broken pieces 
of stone or flower-pot. It is delicately suscep¬ 
tible of frosts, and its pretty fronds when exposed 
on an open rockery will die away on the approach 
of winter; but when the soft genial spring comes 
round again, the new fronds will bud into life 
once more with all their old green and crisp 
freshness. 
