A CHRISTMAS PRESENT. 

 It can scarcely be called a selfish spirit that prompts the giver jj 

 of presents at Christmas time, to select things that will not be laid 

 aside after the holidays are past, to be speedily forgotten, or to | 

 be sent to the attic in company with other Christmas presents of \ 

 bygone days. We like to think that our presents are both orna- j 

 mental and useful; that the recipients will keep them near at I 

 hand and often, when using them, think of the giver. Under j 

 such conditions could anything be more appropriate for a present ] 

 than a book ? Not a novel that will be of no interest as soon as i 

 read ; not a work of reference that may possibly be consulted once ^ 

 or twice a year ; but some good live volume on a subject that can- j 

 not be mastered in a moment. Out-of-door books are especially ) 

 good, for there are none of us that do not take pleasure in going j 

 into the country once in a while, and in learning a little each year ) 

 about the interesting denizens of field and wood. The bookstores j 

 are full of such books at present, but few have the three-fold dis- ) 

 tinction possessed by "Our Ferns in Their Haunts" of being j 

 lucidly written; of dealing with some of the most fascinating ) 

 forms in nature; and of being appropriately illustrated. The j 

 illustrations alone make this a valuable gift-book, even if the re- ) 

 cipient knows nothing about ferns — or, what is much rarer — j 

 cares nothing for them. It is just the book to stimulate the child ) 

 to look closer into the secrets of Nature ; while the older nature- j 

 lover will find an interesting subject, clearly presented. It is a ) 

 guide to all our native ferns, contains 215 illustrations and 332 j 

 pages of text, and will be sent postpaid for $2.35. Address ) 

 Willard N. Clute & Co., Binghamton, N. Y. 



