( m ) 
or leaf, in fome of them, are ftrikingly dif- 
ferent, and appear to form very diftincT: and 
fatisfactory characters ; but when, as a tribe, 
they come to be more minutely inveftigated, 
the chracters of one genus are frequently loft 
in thofe of another, and we in vain feek for a 
precife generic character. The plates and 
remarks in Mr. Curtis's London Flora are 
particularly pleafmg and ufeful on this fubjec~h 
The elegance of the figures of fome of the 
genera is fcarcely exceeded by their natural 
appearance, Wherever the ferns are found, 
they are ornamental ; on walls, old wells, and 
banks, in winter, they make a principal fea- 
ture in that beautiful aifemblage of the Cryp- 
togamia plants, which may be faid to form a 
winter garden. 
EXPLANATION 
