4IO NATURAL SCIENCE. Dec. 



it has been left to Minneapolis to show us the way, and we could 

 wish that the headquarters of the movement had been in a city where 

 there were a few more zoological publications than are to be found 

 in the library of Minnesota University. But we must rejoice that 

 the admirable methods of library cataloguing which have been 

 brought to such perfection by the Americans are at length to be 

 applied to the relief of the overweighted zoologist, and we must hope 

 and strive that sufficient pecuniary support be forthcoming. If the 

 undertaking be once fairly started, and if it acquire those proportions 

 that are needed to make it really valuable, then we shall soon be 

 wondering how on earth we ever managed to get along without its 

 assistance. Those, and we trust they are many, who desire to aid 

 this good work, should communicate with Mr. Clarke Barrows or 

 Professor H. F. Nachtrieb at the University of Minnesota, 

 MinneapoHs, U.S.A. 



The Linnean Society's Catalogue. 



There is not a wide difference between Records of Literature 

 and Catalogues of Libraries, and while we are on this subject we may 

 well consider the strange case of the Linnean Society. For many 

 years past, successive Councils of that learned body have struggled 

 with the apparently hopeless task of bringing out a list of their books 

 that shall supplant the old catalogue of 1866. Such a work should 

 take certainly not more than one year to accomplish, but although 

 there have been many rumours of its incubation, nothing has as yet 

 appeared. We say " appeared " advisedly, because we have ourselves 

 seen an abortive pamphlet which purported to be an attempt at a 

 catalogue of the serials, but, so far as is known, that has never been 

 distributed or sold by the Society. Surely years enough have passed 

 since the publication of the last catalogue to make it worth the while 

 of the Council to publish another, for the library contains an in- 

 teresting series of books quite apart from the precious volumes which 

 at one time formed part of the library of Linnaeus himself, and many 

 of which are almost if not quite unique in this country. 



It may be urged in excuse that the officials of such a Society have 

 enough to do to carry on its regular business, but there are many men 

 who would be perfectly competent to make a catalogue, and who 

 would be glad of such congenial occupation. It is curious how 

 apathetic ordinary members of societies are : they are content with 

 the pride of membership and with the idling of an occasional evening ; 

 so long as tea and coffee are served they do not care one jot what 

 happens with regard to the general management. But surely there 

 must be many members of the Linnean who are sufficiently alive to the 

 importance of knowing what the resources of their library are, and it 

 is surprising that they do not insist on a catalogue being published. 



Possibly by the next anniversary meeting (May 24, 1895), some 

 Fellow may be goaded into asking for what may be an explanation 



