LEE BARKER WALTON 61 



kingdoms. The cross-reference classification by means of 

 tabs, however, as represented in the department catalogue 

 will usually be sufficient in the smaller museums. 



Here the arrangement of data will meet the needs of 

 the average department. Near the middle of the upper 

 margin of the card should be placed the name of the par- 

 ticular department to which it refers, together with the 

 name of the institution. If the department is large so 

 that group catalogues are necessary, this should also 

 appear, e. g. Zoology Department Catalogue, South Afri- 

 can Museum, Birds. 



Systematic cross reference classification by tabs. — The 

 classification adopted will depend on the nature of the 

 catalogue. If half-inch tabs are used on a 6 inch card 

 twelve divisions are possible which in the zoological depart- 

 ment cards above consist of 1. Mammals, 2. Birds, 3. Rep- 

 tiles, 4. Amphibians, 5. Fishes, etc., 6. Tunicates, 7. Ech- 

 inoderms, 8. Articulates, 9. Mollusca, 10. Vermes, 11. 

 Coelenterates and Sponges, and 12. Protozoa. For certain 

 reasons an arrangement in the reverse order would be more 

 logical. In a botanical catalogue one could choose be- 

 tween the older classification of Eichler, 1883, where a 

 somewhat arbitrary grouping gives us the 1. Algae, etc., 

 2. Lichens, 3. Bryophytes, 5. Ferns, 6. Gymnosperms, and 

 7. Angiosperms, and the recent one of Engler,^ 1904, with 

 thirteen groups and 3 5-40 classes. The classification 

 adopted in the other department catalogues, Palaeontol- 

 ogy, Anthropology, etc., will in a similar manner represent 

 to a more or less extent the personal equation of the 

 curator under whose supervision they are maintained. 



Geographical cross reference classification by colors. — 

 Geographical distribution may easily be indicated by hav- 

 ing cards of a particular color represent definite areas. 

 Such an arrangement does not appear to render the card 

 system so complex that it is disadvantageous, although 

 over-systematizing is a danger which confronts any gen- 

 eral method. 



If the collection is local in its character, the majority 

 of specimens being obtained from a given state, an excel- 



Engler, A. 1904. Syllabus der Pflanzenfamilien, 4th edition, Berlin. 



