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surpassing beauty. The wind, rustling in the lofty trees 
above, seemed to glide lightly over the fan-leaves of the 
Fern, among which the deer were sportively bounding about, 
tossing their antlered heads, and chasing each other through 
the wavy sea of verdure. Squirrels were scampering about 
the trees, whisking their bushy tails, and playing a thousand 
merry antics; while the more timid rabbits jjeeped from 
their burrows among the Fern roots, with their long sleek 
ears attentively bent to catch the least suspicious sound, which 
would send them springing home again. Nor were birds want¬ 
ing to complete the picture; the “ deep mellow crush of the 
wood-pigeon’s note” was heard in the trees, besides other 
more shrill voices. Altogether, the spot, season, and inci¬ 
dents were so beautiful, that I should cherish the Fern, were 
it only for its bringing me the memory of feelings so deli¬ 
cious as those I then enjoyed. 
Before the curious fructification of the Fern was under¬ 
stood, many superstitious fancies were afloat respecting it; 
one of which was, that the possession of Feni seed, gathered 
under jjeculiar circumstances of time, place, incantation, &c., 
rendered the wearer invisible— 
“ We have the receipt of fern-seed—we walk invisible.” 
A kind of divination, too, is wrought by its means, for 
the same purpose as that served by the Hallow-e’en mysteries, 
and by so many other experiments of credulous minds, 
namely, the all-important one of ascertaining the inquirer’s 
destiny in love inatters. 
