192 BRITISH FERNS, 
are filled with a pollen-like dust: when mature, each 
cell or capsule opens by a transverse slit, the pollen- 
like dust escapes, and the lips of the capsules remain 
Separate and gaping. 
The Adder’s Tongue is a common plant on the 
continent of Europe, and is said to oceur in almost 
" every part of the world; but I have heen unable to 
satisfy myself as to the identity or otherwise of the 
species. It is generally distributed over England, 
and in many places is very abundant, covering acres 
of meadow-land, and being considered highly injurious 
to the crop of grass, not only on account of its being 
disliked by cattle generally, but from its depauperating 
effect on the grass, upon which it acts as a root 
parasite, although the actual parasitism has never 
been 4 
was large and luxuriant, the tip of the frond ele- 
gantly turned back, and its 8ppearance somewhat 
. of the E : 
Arum. In Berrington Park, in the same county, 
it occurs in the utmost profusion, In reference to 
Ireland, the late Mr. Thompson observed of the 
