A.qG Recent Literature. I q^.^ 



list of the journals cited, with their abbreviated titles (pp. 1485-1512), and 

 the ' Topographical Classification,' the latter in four languages (pp. 1513- 

 1528). All titles given in Part I are here reprinted, classified according 

 to subject matter, and alphabetically arranged bj authors under each di- 

 vision. These divisions are grouped under (i) ' Comprehensive Zoology,' 

 and (2) ' Special Zoology.' Special Zoology is divided into 29 sections, 

 with the following 8 subdivisions under each section : Comprehensive 

 and General Works; Structure; Physiology ; Development ; Ethology ; 

 Etiology; Geography; Taxonomy and Systematic. Each subdivision 

 is designated by a four-figure registration number. 



The classification here adopted has been the subject of more or less un- 

 favorable criticism ; the principal objection to it, however, seems to be 

 that it is different from any of those previously employed, and is there- 

 fore to this extent inconvenient without any obvious advantage in the 

 innovations. To some extent the present Catalogue is a duplication of 

 work already being well done, and the only reason for its existence would 

 seem to be that it should be more nearly complete and more satisfactorily 

 arranged than any of those which occupy the same field. 



In order to test its completeness reference was first made to a publica- 

 tion near at hand — the ' Bulletin ' of the American Museum of Natural 

 History for the year 1901, which resulted in the surprising discovery that 

 of 22 zoological articles contained in that volume the titles of only 16 

 appear in the zoological volume of the International Catalogue, more 

 than one third having been omitted. This is the gravest case of omission 

 thus far noticed, but a small percentage of omission has been found in 

 every case where a test has been made, the omissions often including 

 some of the most important papers in the volumes examined. Only the 

 general articles of ' The Auk ' are listed, the scores of (often important) 

 minor articles being omitted, though uniformly entered in the other cur- 

 rent bibliographies. 



Under Aves we find no reference to the journal ' Aquila,' nor is it 

 listed in the general list of journals at the end of the volume ; titles of 

 important papers in the leading ornithological journals are often omitted, 

 while the minor journals are either very imperfectly indexed or wholly 

 ignored. In the case of authors, of 14 papers by R. B. Sharpe listed in 

 the Zoological Record only 2 appear in the International Catalogue ; even 

 his ' Hand-List of the Genera and Species of Birds,' of which Vol. Ill 

 appeared in 1901, is not mentioned. Stark's 'The Birds of South Africa,' 

 of which Vol. II appeared in 1901, is omitted, as is Ridgway's 'Birds of 

 North and Middle America,' of which Part I came out in 1901 ; nor is 

 there any mention of any of Mr. Ridgway's papers for that year. Du- 

 bois's ' Synopsis Avium,' of which four fasciculi were issued in 1901, is 

 also absent ; and so on through a long list of works and papers by promi- 

 nent authors, too numerous to be enumerated here. 



Turning to the ' List of New Genera and Species,' it is found that the 

 same incompleteness is conspicuous ; in the families Fringillidre, Icteridae, 



