XIV 
PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION. 
circumstance that it is free from the uninteresting 
technicalities which have succeeded—in most 
works on Ferns—in making the study of these 
beautiful plants a hard task, instead of a pleasing 
and delightful occupation. 
To the kind Reviewers who have accorded 
such unstinted—nay, overwhelming—praise for 
a humble attempt to popularize the study of 
Ferns, to inculcate a love for the beauties of 
Nature, and to prove what a wealth of pleasure 
—derivable from a simple pursuit—is within the 
reach of the humblest, the Author tenders his 
most sincere and heartfelt thanks. 
September, 1876. 
