This species is very distinct in its general appearance from the Holly Fern, though it can at once be seen to be a Shield Fern by the unnotched indusia which cover the sori. The fronds may be as much as two feet in height, or even a little more, and these rise from a tufted root-stock. As a rule the stipes is very much shorter than the leafy portion, and both it and the rachis are thickly covered with scales. The outline of the frond is lanceolate, and the colour of the foliage is dark green. A pretty glossy effect is noticeable on the upper surface. The frond of the Hard Prickly Shield Fern is twice divided, and the pinnæ are arranged alternately on either side of the rachis. A distinctive point about this species is that the upper pinnules at the base of each pinna is larger in all ways than the other pinnules. The pinnules are provided with sharp teeth, and it should be noted that they have nothing very decided in the way of stalks. Actually they are what botanists call decurrent—that is, tending to run together at the base. In some varieties of this species the tendency is more marked than in others. The sori are placed on either side of the mid-veins of the pinnules, and these are usually confined to about half the upper portion of the back of the frond. The Hard Prickly Shield Fern is very widely distributed in England, and it is to be looked for in shady woods. It is an exceedingly easy plant to grow, and thrives even in town gardens. The plant is evergreen in habit. _Polystichum (Aspidium) angulare._ It is not regarded by some botanists as an established species, but is thought to be a variety of _A. aculeatum_. However, there are certain differences which appear to be specific. The Soft Prickly Shield Fern. As in the Hard Prickly Shield Fern, we find a tufted root-stock from which grow lanceolate fronds. We notice the same short stipes and the narrow pinnæ on the leafy portion tapering to a point. In this species it is said that the pinnules at the base are more nearly equal in size than is the case with _A. aculeatum_. The pinnules are also more definitely stalked in the former than in the latter. In the case of the Soft Prickly Shield Fern, it is noticeable that all parts of the stalk of the frond—both stipes and rachis, and even the rachides—are covered with brown scales. It is said, too, that the droop of the fronds is more pronounced in the Soft Prickly Shield Fern than in the Hard Prickly Shield Fern. The arrangement of the sori is similar in both species. The Soft Prickly Shield Fern has been found widely distributed in England and Ireland, though it is not so common in other parts of the United Kingdom. It is easily cultivated, and is evergreen in habit.