P R E F A C E .
T h e A u th o r, h av in g re c e n tly completed h is “ Species F llic um ,” * now
offers to th e p ublic a “ Synopsis o f all k n ow n P e rn s ,” wbicb contains, besides
b rie f diagnoses of th e species described more in d e ta il in th a t work, to g e th e r
with th e ir geographical d is trib u tio n as f a r as y e t a scerta ined, such ad d itio n s
an d corre ctions as have come to h is knowledge, to g e th e r w ith an account
o f th e Sub-Orders Osmondace-«, ScHiziBACBH5, M a e a ttia c e a j, an d O p h io -
GLOSSACE*. H e does n o t, however, propose to in c lu d e th e Lycopod^acece
S a lv in ia cm , MarsiUacem, hoetacem, an d E q u isdm em , which differ much
from these, an d i t may be sa id from each o th e r, an d which hav e of la te
engaged th e s tu d y o f severa l able monographers. H e fu rth e r in te n d s o
d e p a rt from th e scope of th e “ Species P ilicum ” in a n o th e r p o in t, which
req u ire s a few words of ex p lan a tio n .
I n th e In tro d u c tio n to th e “ Species P ilicum ,” th e A u th o r s ta te d th a t he
h ad included in th a t w o rk a considerable n um b e r of impe rfe c tly described
species, of w hich he h ad seen n e ith e r specimens n o r figures, solely because
th e y h ad been proposed b y au th o rs o f re p u ta tio n . These he now th in k s
i t desirable to omit. N o d o u b t man y a re described u n d e r different names ;
of o th e rs th e re is no prospect of an y th in g f a r th e r bein g k n ow n ; a n d of
a ll th e ch a ra c te rs a re so vague, o r imperfect, o r p ro lix , th a t i t is impossible
to define th em b y b rie f d iagnostic chara c te rs, such as alone a re su ited to
th e pages of a Synopsis.
A f te r upw a rd s o f h a lf a c en tu ry , more or less continuously passed m th e
stu d y of F e rn s in th e rich e st H e rb a r ium o f th a t O rd e r in th e world (his
own), an d la tte r ly w ith th e aid of th e finest in cu ltiv a tio n ( th a t o f th e
R o y ll Ga rd en s of K ew ) ; t and a fte r th e devotion of fully h a lf th a t n um b e r
* In 5 vols. 8vo, with 300 plates representing upwards of 500 species,
t The formation' of this fine collection is mainly due to the exertions and ability of
Mr John Smith, who for forty-three years held an important position among the officers
of the Eoyal Gardens. His knowledge of Ferns, and his writings upon them, justly
entitle him to rank among the most distinguished Pteridologists of the present day.