PREFACE. Vll 



notes furnished by Mr. J. G. Baker, assistant Curator of 

 the Kew Herbarium. 



The original MS. was nearly ready for publication 

 in 1864, since when it has been rewritten and revised 

 under my direction, and before being sent to press 

 submitted to Mr. James Britten, of the Botanical 

 Department of the British Museum. The proof sheets 

 have been (with the exception of a few of the early 

 Ones) corrected by Mr. Robert Heward, F.L.S., I 

 therefore trust that the typographical errors, &c., 

 which may have escaped notice are few. 



I should not have ventured to have added the plates 

 to the work if it had not been that Mr. W. H. Fitch, 

 the eminent botanical artist undertook to prepare the 

 drawings, and to superintend them through the press ; 

 from having drawn all the figures of Ferns published 

 by Sir W. Hooker in his several works, he has become 

 well acquainted with the structure and generic character 

 of Ferns. We have also for many years at various 

 times exchanged views regarding special points of struc- 

 ture, I have, therefore, no hesitation in accepting the 

 plates as correct. 



Although this work is entitled the History of Ferns, 

 it nevertheless must be understood that it does not 

 describe species, nor does it treat of their microscopical 

 structure or chemical products, the chief aim of the 



