412 NATURAL SCIENCE. June, 



massive limestone among rocks of the Tertiary and perhaps the 

 latest Cretaceous periods. Hitherto, however, only insignificant 

 remains of these organisms seem to have been recognised in strata of 

 earlier date. Geologists will, therefore, peruse with much interest 

 the paper by Dr. Alexander Brown on Solenopora, published in the 

 April and May numbers of the Geological Magazine. Solenopora is a 

 problematical calcareous organism of varying size, ranging from the 

 dimensions of a pea to those of an orange, and of irregular shape ; 

 and it occurs abundantly in the Ordovician (Lower Silurian) rocks, 

 where it sometimes forms great beds of limestone. Dr. Brown 

 attempts to prove that its structure is cellular, not tubular as pre- 

 viously supposed, and that there are occasionally appearances 

 which can only be compared with the " tetrasporangia " and " con- 

 ceptacles" of recent corallines. It is thus extremely likely that 

 the problematic fossil in question will prove to be a nullipore, and in 

 that case the range of these minute organisms as rock-builders is 

 extended backwards to early Palaeozoic times. 



An International Catalogue of Scientific Publications. 



In the Bulletin de VAcademie Royale de Belgiqiie for April 7, M. 

 Mourlon has a paper on the formation of an International bureau for 

 Bibliography. He refers to the scheme read before the Academy on 

 December 4 last by M. F. Van der Haeghen, for the compilation of a 

 General Catalogue of the contents of public libraries, and proceeds 

 to quote a letter received from the Royal Society of London, 

 dated March 22, 1894, ^'^^ signed by the secretaries. Professor 

 M. Foster, Lord Rayleigh, and Sir J. Lister. 



This letter, which we presume has been sent to other Societies 

 besides the Royal Academy of Belgium, announces the proposed 

 preparation of a Catalogue of all " scientific publications, whether 

 appearing in periodicals or independently," and goes on to say that, 

 as such a " Catalogue is far beyond the power and means of any 

 single Society," the " Royal Society have appointed a Committee to 

 inquire into and report upon the feasibility of such a catalogue being compiled 

 through international co-operation.'' " The Catalogue should commence 

 with papers published on or after January i, 1900." 



This excellent suggestion has been made many times before, and 

 we are glad to hear that the Royal Society of London is taking some 

 practical steps in the matter. But we are curious to learn the names 

 of those forming the committee, that there may be some guarantee of 

 special knowledge in the decisions arrived at. That the Royal Society 

 failed to attain reasonable completeness in their " Catalogue of 

 Scientific Papers " is generally felt, and in their letter referred to 

 this is definitely acknowledged. But the reasons therein given for 

 this failure are lamentably feeble, for they say^that this incomplete- 

 ness is " owing to the omission of the titles of papers published in 



