PREFACE TO THE ILLUSTRATED (FOURTH) EDITION, 



the Author to receive directions as to the places 

 at which views were to be taken confessed that, 

 although he had resided in the neighbourhood all 

 his life, and had believed that he knew every 

 corner of the country-side, he had never seen 

 this lane, and was unaware that the neighbour- 

 hood of Totnes exceedingly beautiful as are 

 its green lanes included one of such surpassing 

 loveliness as the one in question. 



The Author is responsible for an innovation in 

 the matter of the Fern plates which, to the number 

 of eight, accompany the text of ' Ferns and Fern 

 Culture' in Part IV. It has hitherto been the 

 practice to illustrate books on Ferns by coloured 

 or uncoloured drawings of these beautiful plants. 

 As artistic productions, such illustrations are 

 often very effective. A departure, however, from 

 the prevalent custom of Fern-book illustrations 

 was attempted in ' THE FEKN WORLD.' The beau- 

 tiful art of photography was brought into requi- 

 sition with the object of reproducing the lines of 



