THE NAUTILUS. 41 



in conjunction with the figures, iruikes repaging from time to time 

 unnecessary when the book is enlarged. 



At the front of this catalogue I liave an index of genera arranged 

 alphabetically. By indexing according to genera much space is 

 saved and it does not take much time to refer to the page for species 

 if one does not remember just where the species may be found in the 

 classification. 



For the use of beginners I will tell how 1 list specimens on a page. 

 After leaving space at the left hand of each page for the binding of 

 the leaves with the metal clasps, I write the name of the shell, by 

 whom named and the locality all upon one line, keeping the locality 

 of each species at the extreme right hand of the page. At the left 

 hand I write the initials or some letter to indicate from what source 

 the shell or shells were received, also the number of specimens. 

 Above the name of the genera and species I write the name of the 

 family in large letters. I use red ink for this, as the family name is 

 more prominent in this way. As noted before, if the space for the 

 specific name becomes too crowded I write upon the opposite page 

 the name of the specimen I desire to list, indicating this upon the 

 page where the others are listed. As they are listed specifically ac- 

 cording to the alphabet the place assigned to it upon the blank page 

 is the same as upon the page that is filled. 



For West Coast shells, as before mentioned, I use cards. When 

 a new specimen is listed upon a new card it is placed with the names 

 of the rest of the genus. Any data desired are written upon each 

 card. I got my cards cut and a hole punctured in each one by the 

 thousand.* All cards for the specific name are the same size, those 

 for the families and genera have an offset at the top. That is, a 

 raised margin was left at the top of each card, these were raised 

 sometimes at one end sometimes at the other end, and others had the 

 margin in the center. When genera are listed upon a few cards the 

 raised margins would hide each other if they were not placed at a 

 little distance from each other, but if one generic name is at the ex- 

 treme right hand of the row of cards in the box or drawer, another 

 in the middle, still another at the extreme left hand, these generic 

 names are readily detected by the eye, whereas if they followed one 

 another all in a row some would be hidden from sight. 



* It is best to use the cards of the Library Bureau, as they are of uniform 

 size and quality. 



