THE LITERATURE OF FERNS. 



43 



trated by many very excellent figures. Owing to 

 its size, the work is rather expensive; costing from 

 ^15 to ^30, according to paper and binding. 



Ferns, British and Foreign, by John Smith 

 (London, 1866, 8vo,' pp. 412), under the head Cul- 

 tivation," contains much valuable information on 

 fern-structure. There is also much of interest 

 regarding the introduction of foreign species into 

 England. 



HiSTORiA FiLicuM (London, Macmillan & Co., 

 1875, 8vo, 429 pp.), by the same author, an ex- 

 curator of Kew Gardens, contains a great deal of 

 original matter relating to the modes of fern- 

 growth. The introductory and closing chapters 

 are of especial interest, and several quotations 

 from them will be found in the present volume 

 The bulk of the book is an exposition of the 

 author's plan of classifying ferns, and a review of 

 the plans adopted by others. It is copiously illus- 

 trated ; and the price in this country is high, being 



But undoubtedly the best book given to botanists 

 for many years is the Text-Book of Botany, 

 Morphological and Physiological, by Julius 

 Sachs, translated by A. W. Bennett and W. T. 

 Thistleton Dyer; London, Macmillan & Co.; 858 

 pp. large 8vo. In this work, under the head 

 "Book II., Special Morphology, and Outlines of 

 Classification," there are 380 pages, of which 30 



