158 NATURAL SCIENCE. August, 1S94. 



In his anniversary address delivered to the Royal Geographical Society, Mr. 

 Clements R. Markham referred to the new catalogue of the library of the Society, 

 which will be in the hands of fellows some time this year. This catalogue has now 

 been arranged in one alphabetical order, and there will be two appendices, the first 

 containing an alphabetical list of all the collections of voyages and travels, with an 

 analytical table of contents to each volume ; the second appendix containing 

 anonymous and periodical literature arranged in geographical order. These 

 catalogues have been prepared by Dr. Mill, Mr. Vincent Hawkins, and Dr. Murie. 



A still more useful catalogue is being prepared for the same Society by Dr. 

 Mill and Dr. Murie. That is a subject catalogue which is to be at once exhaustive, 

 systematic, and exclusively geographical. Such a book as this, if properly carried 

 out, will be an invaluable contribution to geography, serving as a guide to workers 

 in all parts of the world. But, of course, it involves great labour. The number of 

 titles to be indexed Dr. Murie calculates at 110,000, and this will print into some- 

 thing like 5,000 pages octavo. It is hoped that this book will be ready in about two 

 years, and one might perhaps indulge the hope that Dr. Murie will keep an especial 

 eye on bibliographies. 



Dr. R. Lloyd Praeger has written in the July number of the Irish Naturalist 

 a sketch of the history of the Belfast Naturalists' Field Club. This is but the 

 first of what must be a most interesting series of histories of the Irish Natural 

 History Societies, and we shall await the succeeding papers with interest. The 

 Belfast Naturalists' Field Club was the outcome of some courses of lectures on 

 Natural Science by Mr., now Professor, Ralph Tate, and was started in 1863. Since 

 then it has steadily increased in prosperity and usefulness, and has published many 

 interesting and valuable papers in its well-known but somewhat complicated 

 " Proceedings " and " Appendices." The membership is now just about 500. 



Part i. of the fourth volume of the Actes Soc. Sci. Chili has just reached us. 

 Mr. Boulenger has a paper on the fresh-water perches of Chili, and Dr. L. Vergara 

 Flores one on the cranium of an aboriginal Bolivian. The Society numbers some 

 250 members, and publishes in its "Actes" many valuable observations relating to 

 Chili. The library seems to be growing rapidly under the care of Dr. Briones. 

 Parts 4 and 5 of volume iii., and parts 4 and 5 of volume ii. of the "Actes " will 

 appear shortly, and then these volumes will be complete. 



In a paper read before the Royal Irish Academy, Mr. R. J. Ussher shows that 

 the Golden Eagle still breeds in Western Mayo, Donegal, Galway, and Kerry. The 

 White-Tailed Eagle has been observed in Mayo and Kerry. The Pelegrine Falcon 

 breeds fairly commonly throughout Ireland, but the common Buzzard is rare. Tree 

 Sparrows also breed in co. Dublin, and are increasing in numbers. The Raven is 

 everywhere rare, and the Bittern is now never to be seen. 



Dr. C. E. Stirling, F.R.S., has contributed to Nature (June 21 and 28) an 

 account of his remarkable discovery of the remains of Diprotodon and other extinct 

 vertebrata at Lake Callabonna, South Australia. 



