From the preface… Of the coloured illustrations the Author merely desires to say that they are printed from photographs of fronds collected and grouped by himself. It would have been opposed to the object of this work to illustrate it by mere drawings of Ferns —for the best drawing is frequently but a poor imitation of Nature. By bringing the marvelous and beautiful process of photography into requisition, it has been possible to copy the very lines of Nature herself. To Messrs. Leighton Brothers, of the Strand, this process of Nature printing has been entrusted, and the Author gladly takes the opportunity of acknowledging the rare fidelity with which the work has been executed. [1]