PREFACE TO THE ILLUSTRATED (FOURTH ) EDITION. 
the Author to receive directions as to the places 
at which views were to be taken confessed that, 
although he had resided in the neighbourhood all 
his life, and had believed that he knew every 
corner of the country-side, he had never seen 
this lane, and was unaware that the neighbour- 
hood of Totnes — exceedingly beautiful as are 
its green lanes — included one of such surpassing 
loveliness as the one in question. 
The Author is responsible for an innovation in 
the matter of the Fern plates which, to the number 
of eight, accompany the text of e Ferns and Fern 
Culture’ in Part IV. It has hitherto been the 
practice to illustrate books on Ferns by coloured 
or uncoloured drawings of these beautiful plants. 
As artistic productions, such illustrations are 
often very effective. A departure, however, from 
the prevalent custom of Fern-book illustrations 
was attempted in ‘ The Fern World.’ The beau- 
tiful art of photography was brought into requi- 
sition with the object of reproducing the lines of 
A 
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