viii PREFACE. 
retained a good many old names owing to their 
own fitness and the precious associations that 
have gathered around them by the study of years. 
By other new-fangled names these lowly plants 
would not have smelt so sweet to me. 
As this edition is virtually a new book, I have 
discarded the former principal title on account of 
its obscurity and fancifulness, and adopted the 
alternative title as the sole one, believing that 
it recommends itself by its simplicity and com- 
prehensive descriptiveness. 
I may add, in the words of the original Preface, 
that the different chapters of this book were first 
composed and delivered in the form of a series 
of popular lectures. This circumstance will ac- 
count for their style and general tone, which have 
been preserved although re-written and con- 
siderably extended, and which may be supposed 
to be better adapted for listeners than readers. 
I had serious -thoughts of re-casting the whole 
work on this occasion, and presenting it in a more 
systematic mould, But this would require too 
much ‘labour; and it is doubtful if the gain after 
all would have been a sufficient compensation. 
My object in publishing the book is not so much 
4 
