THE FERNS OF SOUTH AFRICA 
4i 
Kuhn’s list in Diekens’ Reisen in Ost-Africa , Botanik, III. 
pages 7 — 71 (1879), contains various South African species. 
In Hooker’s leones Plantarum (1886), three parts are 
devoted to the new ferns, and include several South African 
species (with figures). 
Oates’ Matabeleland (1881), describing a journey from 
Durban to the Victoria Falls on the Zambesi, includes a 
list by Baker of plants collected, numbering 67 species, of 
which 10 are ferns; and one new species, Adiantum Oatesii 
Bkr, is described and figured. 
Dr Hans Schinz’ Observations on a collection of Transvaal 
Plants , collected mostly near Elim, includes only two ferns, 
Nephrodium Bergianum and Cheilanthes hirta Sw., but that is 
very evidently not representative of the Transvaal mountain 
forests. 
My own Handbook of Kajfrarian Ferns (1891) contained 
descriptions and illustrations of the 68 ferns and 7 fern allies 
found by me in what was formerly the Colony of Kaffraria, 
which however does not quite correspond with the Kaffrarian 
district, as understood in the present work, in which all the 
Transkeian territories as well as the old Colony of Kaffraria 
are included. 
In 1892 the first edition of the present work appeared, in 
which 157 species of ferns and 22 species of fern allies were 
described, and 159 plates used to illustrate all the species of 
which specimens had been obtained or seen. 
The geographical area dealt with in that edition was 
nominally that part of continental Africa lying south of the 
tropic of Capricorn. This included the Transvaal but only 
part of Rhodesia, and the latter was only represented by bare 
lists of about 30 species. 
Railway communication with the Transvaal had only 
recently been opened, and pioneers were more bent on 
money-making than on scientific study. 
In the preparation of the book I carefully examined 
practically all the herbarium material available in South 
Africa, and with some assurance ended the Preface with these 
words : “ I do not anticipate that many more species of ferns 
