INTRODUCTION. xxiii 



furrounding cover. Spatha, a fheath, is now almoft folely applied to the 

 lily narcijfus, and other plants of the fame, or a fimilar ftrudture; g/uma, 

 an hufk, to the gralfes, &c. involuerum, (involucre) to a cover of a par- 

 ticular ftrudture, found on the top of the ftems and branches of the um- 

 belliferous plants, and ferves as a defence to the umbells of flowers, 

 whether univerfal, partial, or both. 



In making choice of fpecimens, I have throughout the work avoided 

 fuch as were uncommonly large, or fmall in their kinds ; and have 

 drawn and defcribed fuch as were of a middling fize, in refpect to others 

 of the fame fpecies. Often, when I have met with a plant in one ftate 

 only, whether young, middling, or otherwife, I have made an exact draw- 

 ing in that ftate ; and finding the plant afterwards in a different ftate, I 

 have taken another figure, perhaps on the fame or on a feparate paper, and 

 have always accompanied thefe drawings with defcriptive notes. — In the 

 Drawing, I have all along endeavoured to give a faithful and accurate imi- 

 tation of the object before me, and to reprefent Nature juft as I faw her 

 in herfelf, with her fimplicity and accidents about her. From a felected 

 choice of the above drawings, the figures on the plates were taken ; and 

 from thofe defcriptive notes, the defcriptions were felected : and there is 

 not one figure, nor one defcription in the whole work, which was not 

 originally drawn and written by my own hand, from an immediate in- 

 fpection of the refpective object, when in a recent ftate; and (except in 

 a few inftances) gathered, in the natural place of growth, by me. 



The Etching of the plates, fuch as it is, is wholly my own perform- 

 ance ; and when a fpecimen fell into my hands, at a time when I had an 

 opportunity of etching it, I made the primary outline upon the copper 

 without any previous drawing, I drew it on the waxed plate, with Ver- 

 million, in the point of a fine pencil; and when I copied drawings, I 

 ufed the fame method in laying the outline upon the plate ; for befides 

 that it was more readily done, and more agreeable to me, it prevented 

 thofe injuries which the wax is liable to in back tracing; and prelerved 



an 



