426 
THE EEEN PAEADISE. 
fibrous rootlets; thin, narrow fronds; brittle 
stems; and two rows of leaflets,—now placed 
opposite in pairs, and now ranged alternately— 
egg-shaped and saw-edged. Both grow from their 
crowns in dense clusters. But, as we have already 
inferred,- Trichomanes is found growing in sunnier 
and more exposed situations than Viride. Tri¬ 
chomanes, nevertheless, though so hardy and bold, 
best loves deep shade and moisture. It never, 
however, grows on the ground, but must be 
elevated on wall, rock, or hedge-bank. 
It is really difficult to imagine anything more 
beautiful than a wall or rock clothed with dense 
tufts of the fronds of Trichomanes, with their 
shining, purplish-black stems and refreshingly 
green leaflets. Peer over the arch of yonder 
bridge, beneath which the stream is surging and 
splashing ! Beyond you, dark woods tower up 
against the horizon; beneath, the shining river 
reflects in its limpid surface the blue canopy of 
the sky checkered with fleecy white clouds. You 
follow the course of the current, watching some 
foam spot as it eddies along, and disappears 
beneath the arch over which you are leaning. As 
