WTMAN AND SONS,
ORIENTAL, CLASSICAL, AND GENERAL PRINTERS,
GREAT QUEEN STREET, LONDON, W.C.
EDITOR’S PREFACE.
W h il s t th e she e t which te rm in a te s a t page 48 was passing th ro u g h th e
press, S ir W . H o o k e r’s long c areer of bo tan ic a l a u th o rsh ip was somewhat
u n ex p e c ted ly te rm in a te d by his d e a th . T his is n o t th e place to enlarge
upon th e services which in man y diife rent ways h e ren d e red to bo tan ic a l
science, o r to do more th a n allude to th e re g re t which will be felt by many
who h ad w a ited for th is long-planned work, th a t he was n o t spa red to
complete it. I need only say th a t h av in g been h onoured by D r. H o o k e r
w ith th e req u e st th a t I should c a rry i t o u t, an d h av in g been e n tru s te d by
bim w ith th e m an u sc rip t no te s p rep a red b y his fa th e r, an d th e copy of th e
“ Species Pilicnm ” a n n o ta te d in co n tem p la tio n of th is work, an d h av in g
h ad fu ll access to th e specimens from w hich th e d e scriptions in th e
“ Species Pilicum ” were made, I have done my b e s t to c a rry o u t th is
“ Synopsis ” to a conclusion in s tr ic t accordance w ith th e orig in a l plan.
T h e prin c ip a l collection which we have received a t K ew since th e origina l
preface was w r itte n is a b e autiful series of th e ferns o f New Granada,
g a th e re d b y MM. L in d ig and Triana, for w hich we have to th a n k th e
a u th o ritie s of th e P a r is Museum. T h is contained a considerable n um b e r
of new species, which were described by P rofessor M e tte n iu s , whose loss
in th e prime o f life we hav e also h a d to deplore since th e w o rk was
commenced. P o r o th e r novelties we have also to th a n k L ad y Ba rkly,
D r. Thwaites, an d Mrs. Lyell. P a r tly in consequence of the se additions,
we have been obliged to e x te n d th e wo rk to te n p a rts in ste a d of nine,
a s was plan n ed oi-iginally. T h e to ta l n um b e r of species a dm itte d an d
described is 2,235.
A p a p e r by myself, conta in in g a sum m a ry of th e le ad in g fe a tu re s of
feru-geograjihy, based up o n th is work, will ap p e a r in th e p a r t for 1868
(vol. xxv i. p a r t i.) of th e “ T ran sa c tio n s of th e L in u e an Society.”
J . G. B A K E R .
Kew, Fehmary, 1868.