[Illustration: Asplenium marinum. The Sea Spleenwort.] The sori are to be found on the underside of the pinnæ, arranged in lines on either side of the mid-veins. During the early days the cluster of sporangia is covered with very distinct indusia, but as the capsules ripen, these disappear. The Sea Spleenwort is hardly ever found at a great distance from the sea. It is most common on the coast of southern and western England, sometimes appearing in great abundance in rocky caves. The species also occurs in other parts of the United Kingdom where there is a rocky coastline. Happily it often grows in inaccessible places, and even where the plant can be reached with ease it is extremely difficult to tear the root-stock from its crevice. It seems to be almost impossible to grow the Sea Spleenwort in the open garden, although it is readily cultivated under glass. The species is evergreen in habit, though the foliage will not stand frost. _Asplenium ceterach._ The specific name is considered to be a corruption of _Chetherak_, a name given to this Fern by early medical writers. In some books the species is called _Ceterach officinarum_. The Scaly Spleenwort. This is the most distinctive of all the Spleenworts. The root-stock of the plant is tufted and scaly, and from this are sent down dense masses of roots which penetrate into the remote recesses of the wall or rock crevice where the Fern has made its home. The fronds vary greatly in length, and in a very exposed situation may not be more than an inch or so; in a sheltered and moist place they will be two or three times this size. The outline of the fronds is lanceolate. Strictly speaking, the fronds of the Scaly Spleenwort are pinnatifid, the leaf being designed with rounded lobes and deeply cut intervals. When held lengthways an idea is obtained of the wonderfully regular manner in which the cutting-out of the lobes has been devised. The segments of the fronds occur alternately on the rachis. At first glance it is not an easy matter to discover the sori, for the back of the frond of this Fern is completely covered with brown scales; these are, however, white in the early days of the leaf. By removing the scales it is possible to see the groupings of the sori; these are arranged in the form of rough lines. There is no very clear indication of an indusium, and indeed when one considers the protective scales this hardly seems to be necessary. It is generally considered that the scales on this Fern act in a protective manner during the long spells of dry weather. In such a condition the fronds of the Scaly Spleenwort appear to be trying to roll right up, whilst the lobes close in towards each other. To all appearance the plant is dead. It soon revives, however, after a good shower of rain.