PREFACE 



Surely Sir John Lubbock is right in maintaining that "those 

 who love Nature can never be dull," provided that love be ex- 

 pressed by an intelligent interest rather than by a purely senti- 

 mental rapture. 



Ninety-seven of the one hundred and four plates in this 

 book are from original drawings from nature. Of the remaining 

 seven plates, six (Nos. LXXX., XCIX., CL, XXII., XLIL, 

 LXXXL), and the illustration of the complete flower, in the 

 Explanation of Terms, are adapted with alterations from standard 

 authors, part of the work in the first three plates mentioned being 

 original. Plate IV. has been adapted from " American Medicinal 

 Plants," by kind permission of the author, Dr. C. F. Millspaugh. 

 The reader should always consult the " Flower Descriptions " in 

 order to learn the actual dimensions of the different plants, as it 

 has not always been possible to preserve their relative sizes in the 

 illustrations. The aim in the drawings has been to help the 

 reader to identify the flowers described in the text, and to this 

 end they are presented as simply as possible, with no attempt at 

 artistic arrangement or grouping. 



We desire to express our thanks to Miss Harriet Procter, of 

 Cincinnati, for her assistance and encouragement. Acknowledg- 

 ment of their kind help is also due to Mrs. Seth Doane, of 

 Orleans, Massachusetts, and to Mr. Eugene P. Bicknell, of Riv- 

 erdale, New York. To Dr. N. L. Britton, of Columbia College, 

 we are indebted for permission to work in the College Herba- 

 rium. 



NEW YORK, March 15, 1893. 



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