PREFACE 



THE exceptionally rapid progress of Fossil Botany 

 during the last eight years has rendered necessary a 

 very thorough revision of this book, and the rewriting 

 of considerable portions. At the same time care has 

 been taken to maintain the original character of the 

 " Studies " as a first introduction to " those results of 

 palaeontological inquiry which appear to be of funda- 

 mental importance from the botanist's point of view.'' 

 No attempt has been made to extend the scope of the 

 book, which now, as before, is concerned essentially 

 with the morphological and evolutionary aspects of 

 Palaeobotany, but in every chapter new results of 

 research have been incorporated. 



Chapters I. -IX. cover the Pteridophyta, i.e. those 

 groups of Vascular Plants which may still be con- 

 sidered as, on the whole, Cryptogamic. Chapters X.- 

 XIV. contain the Spermophyta, so far as they are 

 dealt with, concluding with the chapter on " General 

 Results." 



The heading " Chapter " now replaces " Lecture," 



