Viii PREFACE TO THE FIRST ENGLISH EDITION. 



convenient in use, I have given at the head of each chapter 

 (task, or lesson, in the original) a list of the objects required 

 for study in that chapter. I regret that I did not add to 

 these lists any special reagents which might be required 

 for use ; possibly a future edition may give opportunity 

 for this. 



I have considerably enlarged the scope of Appendices II. 

 and III., and have added two new Appendices I. and IV., 

 which I hope may be useful to the student. Throughout 

 the work I have likewise added the common English names 

 (if any) of the plants referred to. 



The student will probably not be able to carry out all 

 the investigations constituting a chapter at the same time. 

 A careful note should be made of any which are thus post- 

 poned, so that they may be taken up in due season. It is 

 not unlikely that some may not come at all within the range 

 of the student's observation ; for these examples the book 

 must be looked upon in the light of a text-book. 



The student is earnestly urged to study from the be- 

 ginning the Author's methods of work. These are especially 

 noteworthy when he comes, perhaps incidentally, to corre- 

 late structure with function. The interdependence of these 

 two factors in the plant's life history is the great under- 

 lying principle of modern botanical teaching, and the student 

 cannot too soon begin to exercise his thoughts in this direc- 

 tion, resting assured that his methods are right even though 

 his results may for the time being prove to be erroneous. 



As to translation, no one can feel so fully as myself its 

 many and serious defects. I can only plead that the work 

 was executed at a time of serious pressure, and, although 

 circumstances have delayed the issue of the book, the manu- 

 script was out of my hands, and therefore only subject to 

 such limited correction as proof-sheets would allow. 



W. H. 



BIRMINGHAM, September, 1886. 



