There was one fern in profusion, with from
90 to 130 pair of pinnae on each frond; and the fronds, though often
exceeding five feet in length, were only two inches broad
(Nephrolepis pectinata). There were many prostrate trees, which
nature has entirely covered with choice ferns, specially the rough
stem of the tree-fern. I counted seventeen varieties on one trunk,
and on the whole obtained thirty-five specimens for my collection.
The forest soon became completely impenetrable, the beautiful
Gleichenia Hawaiiensis forming an impassable network over all the
undergrowth. And, indeed, without this it would have been risky to
make further explorations, for often masses of wonderful matted
vegetation sustained us temporarily over streams six or eight feet
below, whose musical tinkle alone warned us of our peril. I shall
never again see anything so beautiful as this fringe of the
impassable timber belt. I enjoyed it more than anything I have yet
seen; it was intoxicating, my eyes were "satisfied with seeing." It
was a dream, a rapture, this maze of form and colour, this entangled
luxuriance, this bewildering beauty, through which we caught bright
glimpses of a heavenly sky above, while far away, below glade and
lawn, shimmered in surpassing loveliness the cool blue of the
Pacific.
Pages:
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159