From the rachis arise veins which run out to the borders of the frond, and parallel to these are the linear sori. Although at first sight this is not very apparent, the brown lines are composed of two sori which practically join together. The pairs of sori are covered with pairs of indusia which, on the maturity of the sporangia, open out opposite to each other. As a rule the sori are most plentiful on the upper portion of the frond of the Hartstongue. There are an immense number of varieties of the Hartstongue, some of which are familiar garden subjects. In a wild state it is not an uncommon thing to find fronds which are abnormal, and some of these show a greater or less tendency to develop fronds which are branched. The Hartstongue is an excessively common Fern, often occurring in the greatest abundance. It is said to be less frequent in Scotland than in other parts of the United Kingdom. Naturally it is of the simplest culture in the garden. There is much division of opinion as to the position of the Fern, which we must now consider. In some quarters it has been given a place among the Spleenworts, but many authorities consider that the Hard Fern is the solitary British representative of its class. _Blechnum spicant._ In this case the generic name is derived from a Greek word _blechnon_, a name for a Fern. The specific name, _spicant_, is from the Latin _spica_, “a point.” The application of the name is realized when the sharply-pointed pinnæ are examined. The species is in some books called _Lomaria spicant_ and _Blechnum boreale_. The Hard Fern.