350 NATURAL SCIENCE. May, 



Bibliographies. 



Under the direction of the late G. Brown Goode, the Smithsonian 

 Institution has produced, as Bulletin No. 49 of the U.S. National 

 Museum, a " Bibliography of the published writings of Philip Lutley 

 Sclater " (Washington, 1896, xx. and 135 pages). It is divided into: 

 Introduction ; Biographical Sketch ; Part I., Chronological Catalogue 

 of Separate Works (26 items) ; Part II., Chronological Catalogue of 

 Papers (items 27-1239) ; Part III., List of new genera and families 

 described ; Part IV., List of new species described ; Part V., List of 

 species figured ; Part VI., Index to subjects in Parts I. and II. ; 

 Appendix, List of Works, " published subsequent to December, 1894," 

 down to the description of Count von Gotzen's journey across Africa, 

 contributed by Mr. Sclater to our last July number (items 1240-1287). 

 It is only fair to say that of these 1287 items nearly half are Exhibi- 

 tions, or Reports, or Abstracts of matters received by the Secretary 

 of the Zoological Society, and brought by him before the Fellows at 

 their evening meetings in the ordinary course of his duties. The rest 

 form a remarkable contribution to knowledge from a man who has 

 every prospect of a much longer career of activity. The typography 

 and arrangement of the lists is compact and clear ; but more emphasis 

 might have been laid on dates. Clearly the items are not in strict 

 chronological order, and we should not be at all surprised to learn 

 that No. II 82, for instance, quoted as Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1893, 

 was really published in 1894. The work of copying and arranging the 

 titles was performed by Mr. G. A. Doubleday. 



The Geological Commission of the Colony of the Cape of Good 

 Hope has issued, as its first publication, a " Bibliography of South 

 African Geology," compiled by H. P. Saunders, Secretary to the 

 Commission. It forms an octavo paper-covered pamphlet of 56 pages, 

 and records 592 items. It is proposed to issue supplements with the 

 Annual Reports of the Committee. This publication should prove 

 most valuable to the numerous people now interested in the Geology 

 of South Africa. 



WiLLESDEN. 



One does not usually expect to find in such a publication as the 

 Willesden Y ear-Book and Ratepayers'' Guide, 1897, sold at the humble 

 price of 3d., any article of interest to our readers. We are the more 

 pleased to see herein some interesting remarks by Mr. W. North on 

 the River Brent. Among other things, he draws a comparison 

 between the Brent as it was and as it is, greatly to the disadvantage 

 of the present conditions. " The once clean and vigorous life of the 

 stream is gone, and its place is taken by lowly forms that do their duty 

 manfully, if one may use the term, yet vainly, trying to cope with the 

 excess of food supplied to them by Philip's successors." Philip was 

 a farmer, but his land is now given over to stray donkeys and gypsies. 

 It certainly seems conducive neither to health, morals, nor the higher 

 education of the people, that a stream which once served as back- 

 ground for the idyllic scenes of Lytton's " My Novel " should have 

 been turned by the local authorities into nothing more than a stinking 

 sewer. The Year-Book also contains a charming little article by Dr. 

 F. A. Walker on the natural history of what was once " Price's 

 Field," but is now obliterated by suburban villas of the usual type. 

 There are also notes on the geology of the neighbourhood of 

 Willesden, useful from containing particulars of a well sunk to a 

 depth of 464 feet by Messrs. Welford & Sons, at their dairy in Elgin 

 Avenue. 



