VI PRKPACE TO THE FinST EDITION. 



the Botany of the Northern United States, and the writer 

 most gratefully acknowledges the great assistance he has 

 received from the admirable descriptions in that work. 



Except in a very general way, no attempt has been made 

 to define the limits of the range of the various Species, as 

 observation's tend to show that the range, in many cases, is 

 undergoing constant alteration from various causes. When, 

 however, a Species has appeared to be confined to a particular 

 locality, mention has been made of that fact, but, ^s a rule, 

 Species known to be of rare occurrence have been excluded. 



Characters considered to be of special importance in the 

 determination of the, various Species have becai emphasized 

 by the use of italics, and where the Species of a Genus, or 

 the (Jenera of an Order, are numerous, a system of grouping 

 according to some prominent character has been adopted, 

 so as to reduce the labour of determination as much as 

 possible. 



To assist the non-classical student, names which might be- 

 mispronoimced have been divided and accentuated, the divi- 

 sion having no reference whatever to the etymology of the 

 words, but being simply based upon their sound when 

 properly pronounced. 



It need hardly be added that the writer's Element.s op 

 Structubai, Botany is designed to be the constant com- 

 panion of the present Flora, in the hands of the young 

 student, ror the explanation of such technicalities as he may 

 not have previously mastered. 



Barri^, November, 1883 



