30 FERNS IN THEIR HOMES AND OURS. 



not the work of a superior intelligence, but only 

 the imperfect work of man to aid him in his 

 endeavors to classify the productions of nature in 

 the most natural way. Here we are led to speak 

 of what is called synonymy. It is evident, that as 

 authors differ in their arrangement and names of 

 species, genera, orders, &c., so they differ in the 

 names applied to the same ferns. If several 

 botanists obtain and describe the same fern, inde- 

 pendently of each other, each will give it a differ- 

 ent name, and these names will be called synonymes. 

 This has been done for so long and so often, that 

 we sometimes have a dozen names for the same 

 fern. A good illustration of this point may be 

 found in Eaton's "Ferns of North America," 

 Part II., where Polypodium lanosum, Acrostichum 

 hispidum, Adiantum vestitum, Aspidium lanosum, 

 &c., are mentioned as having been given from time 

 to time, by different authors, to our corhmon Chei- 

 lanthes vestita. Taking into consideration the 

 various ways in which the names and position of 

 a species may be changed, and the various places 

 in which it may be found in the books which he 

 consults, it is no wonder that the young botanist 

 is frequently confused and discouraged. 



