PREFATORY NOTICE. 
Of all the Families of plants, perhaps there is none that 
needs so much to be illustrated by figures as the Ferns. 
They are, from their variableness of character, and owing - 
to the different forms they exhibit in different individuals 
of the same species, and even in different parts of the same 
individual, especially in the very compound kinds, exceed- 
ing 1 / difficult of verbal definition, and hence the descriptions 
of writers have been so greatly misunderstood, even those 
that have been the most full and most accurately worded. 
It was the want of such Fern -figures, as helps to a more 
thorough knowledge of these lovely plants, that induced us 
to devote the whole of the last volume (the Tenth) of our 
<c leones Plantarum,” exclusively, to this Family, and we 
think Mr. Pamplin did right in issuing copies of this volume 
separate, to those who might not care to possess the entire 
work, and under the title of a “Century of Ferns.” 
So favourably was this volume received that it has induced 
the Author to publish another and “ Second Century',” 
the volume now before us. 
There is indeed no scarcity of materials for many such 
volumes, could sufficient patronage be insured ; for the dis- 
covery of new species has of late years been quite extra- 
ordinary, in different parts of the world ; and it would be 
still more extraordinary if we could persuade ourselves 
