COMMON BRAKES. 5 
fronds having shed their seed disappear at the approach 
of winter ; the barren fronds, on the contrary, are per- 
sistent and evergreen. 
The hard fern is very common in Great Britain and 
Ireland, more particularly on clayey or sandy soils: 
I never recollect having found it on chalk; it occurs 
in woods, on heaths and commons and in waste places. 
_ In cultivation it requires no particular care, but 
does not flourish in a London atmosphere, and under 
a hand-glass or in a green-house, where ventilation is’ 
perfect and the atmosphere damp, is very apt to 
: mixture of peat, loam and sand 
it, but it will grow well in loam only or even in a 
4, COMMON BRAKES. Aura. 
aed BRACKEN IN SCOTLAND. 
Linneus. BUF. 25. 
