84 NATURAL SCIENCE [February 



Publication or Manuscript ? 



How many copies of a printed book need be issued to constitute 

 publication ? This question seems to be raised as a side issue in a 

 paper by Mr Da vies Sherborn on Thomas Martyn's " Psyche," in the 

 January number of the Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 

 Mr Sherborn states that only ten copies of the book were issued ; 

 and the names of the species were, with six exceptions, written in 

 ink either below the figures themselves or on fly leaves. The fact 

 that the names were not printed is sufficient for Mr Sherborn to 

 stamp them as manuscript, despite the fact that they have been 

 used by entomologists. We wonder what entomologists will say. 

 One interesting fact in connection with the matter is that the 

 author of this paper had actually three out of the ten copies, side 

 by side for comparison, and has been able to trace five out of the 

 original ten. Mr Sherborn does not mention the copy of Part I. 

 in the Hope collection at Oxford, but that evidently falls under his^ 

 ' specimen ' copies, of which it is quite likely others may turn up. 



Now let us suppose this to be a printed book. What happens ? 

 Four entire copies out of the original ten are in England, one is in 

 Holland, the rest are unknown. What possible chance has an 

 American or an Australian of seeing such a book ? Without see- 

 ing it his work must be imperfect. We offer no decision of the 

 difficulty ourselves, but think the point sufficiently interesting to 

 call attention to it. 



Natural Science in Lincolnshire 



The naturalists of Lincolnshire are to be congratulated on having 

 recently established a central society in their county-town in close 

 association with similar societies throughout the county. It has 

 Ions been felt that the scattered energies of numerous isolated 

 workers might be directed into more profitable channels by com- 

 bination and organised co-operation. The " Lincolnshire Science 

 Society " has thus been founded and the programme for the first 

 session is now before us. This interesting little card displays a 

 new feature, in that it not only enumerates the suljjects for the 

 general meetings, but also proposes a definite task which the 

 members of each of the six sections of the society are expected to 

 perform. The geologists are to limit their attention during the 

 forthcoming year to the glacial deposits ; the botanists are to collect 

 and mount algae and fungi, and make a list of the flowering plants, 

 with localities ; the entomologists are expected to pay special atten- 

 tion to the butterflies and moths ; and so on. Some of the best 



