74 ON GENERA AND SPECIES. 



vernation, followed by that of the fronds and venation, and 

 ending with the form and position of the sori and indusium 

 when present. 



As regards synonyms of both genera and species, I have 

 in the preceding pages shown that they may be termed 

 legion, the number of generic names being above 500. To 

 quote all or any considerable number of them, would be 

 the means of making this book much larger than desirable, 

 and add much to confuse students and dismay them from 

 studying Ferns. 



To each genus I have given its authority and date, fol- 

 lowed by its principal synonyms and reference to the genus 

 under which the species stand in Sir William Hooker's 

 " Species Filicum ; " and for their identification I have 

 deemed it sufficient to quote the figures in Hooker and 

 Bauer's " Genera Filicum," the " Synopsis Filicum." 

 Moore's " Index Filicum," and my " Ferns, British and 

 Foreign." These, with plates in this work illustrating the 

 tribes and genera, and with the observations under each 

 genus, will, I trust, be sufficient to convey to the student of 

 Ferns a knowledge of their nature and the data upon which 

 they are classified. 



With regard to species, when few in a genus I have 

 quoted the whole, and for examples of the large genera 

 have quoted the principal and best known species ; in 

 several cases for their identification I have referred to 

 figures in different works. 



I have already shown that it is the rule to retain the 

 original specific name of a species under whatever genus 

 it may be placed by succeeding authors ; some writers, 

 however, in arranging them under different genera affix 

 their initials to the specific name, from which it often 

 appears as though the species were new and named and 



