466 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1894. 



evident. The volumes are always carefully collated in the Academy 

 before being sent out of the building. The work was interrupted 

 during the summer in consequence of the Librarian's absence in 

 Europe. He took occasion to visit such libraries of scientific societies 

 as could be reached in the cities visited, and is glad to be able to 

 state that no library devoted purely to natural history seen by him was 

 superior either in extent or in convenience of arrangement to that of 

 the Academy. 



Perhaps the most important bibliographical aid to the scientific 

 student is the Royal Society Catalogue of Scientific Papers. The ten 

 volumes now issued embrace an alphabetical arrangement of authors 

 with the titles of their contributions from 1800 to 1883. It has long 

 been felt that a catalogue of these papers arranged according to sub- 

 ject was a most important desideratum, but one which must necessarily 

 be the work of co-operation among the scientific societies and biblio- 

 graphers of the world. Attention was called to the desirability of 

 such a compilation in the report of the Librarian of the Academy 

 for 1889, and it is, therefore, now a cause of congratulation that the 

 subject is under consideration by the Royal Society of London. 



A circular having been received from the Society asking for co- 

 operation and suggestion, a committee was appointed consisting of 

 Messrs. Philip P. Calvert, Henry Pilsbry, Stewardson Brown, Ben- 

 jamin Sharp and Theodore D. Rand, with the Librarian as Chair- 

 man, to which the document was referred. A report was adopted by 

 the Academy to the effect: — 



1. That a catalogue of scientific papers as proposed by the Royal 

 Society is desirable and that international co-operation should be en- 

 gaged in its preparation. 



2. That in order to secure uniformity in all parts of such a 

 catalogue, a central bureau, as suggested by the Committee of the 

 Royal Society, appears to be necessary, rather than that separate 

 portions of the catalogue should be prepared by various institutions, 

 such central bureau to be under the direction of the Royal Society, 

 from which the proposition emanates; all publications of societies 

 and monographs to be sent to such central bureau ; the expenses to 

 be met by returns from the sale of copies of the catalogue. 



3. That such a catalogue should be classified and should be 

 issued at least once a year, each volume to be provided with an 

 alphabetical index. 



