PROIIP VI FERTILE AND STERILE FRONDS LEAF-LIKE 

 AND USUALLY SIMILAR ; FRUIT-DOTS ROUND 



of our continent I have sent home to my friend for 

 description and publication sixteen new ones. Yet 

 I trust that the fern hunt upon which he started me 

 in 1873 is still far from its close." 



The above quotations illustrate fairly the enthu- 

 siasm aroused by a pursuit which is full of peculiar 

 fascination. Almost anyone who has made a study 

 of our native ferns will recall hours filled with de- 

 light through their agency, companions made more 

 companionable by means of a common interest in 

 their names, haunts, and habits. 



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