PRE FAC E .
T h e present Handbook is planned upon the same lines
as Hooker & Baker’s ‘ Synopsis Filicum,’ and the two,
taken in connection, cover the whole series of the Vascular
Gi’yptogamia. Since the second edition of ‘ Synopsis
k ilicum was published, u^Jwards of 700 new sjjecies of
ferns have been described. No doubt many of these, if
carefully compared with types previously described, would
have to rank as varieties or synonyms. I have just
furnished a copy of my list of them to Dr. Lorenzo Yates,
of Santa Barbara, California, who wishes to publish a
catalogue of ferns, brought up to the present date.
I h a v e n o t attem^jted to d ea l in a n y w a y w ith th e fo s s il
ty p e s of th e o rders h e r e in c lu d ed , a stu d y o f w h ich ,
however, is q u ite n e ed fu l to u n d e r sta n d th e ir r e la tio n s to
one a n o th e r and o th e r p la n ts . T h e s e h a v e r e c e n t ly b e en
fu lly d ea lt with by P r o fe s so r W illiam so n , in a s e r ie s of
pap e r s in th e ‘ P h ilo s o p h ic a l T r a n sa c tio n s o f th e E o y a l
S o c ie ty ,’ b e g in n in g w ith th e y e a r 1 8 7 1 ; a n d th e stu d en t
w ill find an e x c e llen t b r ie f g en e r a l sum m a r y o f w h a t is
known about th em in th e t r a n s la tio n , ju s t is su ed from th e
Clarendon P r e s s at Oxford, o f G o eb e l’s am p lic a tio n of th e
sy s tem a tic p o r tion o f S a c h ’s ‘ T e x tb o o k .’
J. G. B A K E E .
K e w H e k b a e iu j i ,
1887.