630 Notes and News. [^ 



borator, the late Osbert Salvin, which is to be placed in the Natural History 

 Museum at South Kensington. Any surplus over what may be required 

 for the tablet will be added to a fund to be known as the "Godman Memo- 

 rial Exploration Fund" for which the widow and daughters of Mr. Godman 

 have subscribed £5,000, the proceeds to be devoted to the making of col- 

 lections for the advancement of science and for the benefit of the Museum. 

 This plan cannot be too highly endorsed and we trust that the necessary 

 subscriptions will soon be secured. Salvin and Godman will ever be 

 remembered in America by their classic 'Biologia Cent rali- Americana,' 

 while both were Honorary Fellows of the A. O. U. Subscriptions should be 

 'sent to C. E. Fagan, Honorary Treasurer of the Godman Memorial, Natural 

 History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, S. W. 7. 



Mr. P. Wytsman, editor of ' Genera Avium,' has issued a circular soliciting 

 additional subscribers to this worthy work. Additional support is abso- 

 lutely necessary on account of the greatly increased cost of publication. 

 He may be addressed Quatre-Bras, Tervueren (Belgium) and circulars and 

 sample plate will be sent upon application. 



Indexes to Ornithological Literature — Journals. — A large pro- 

 portion of modern ornithological literature appears in the form of short 

 articles and notes in journals or other periodical publications. These are 

 usually indexed on completion of the volume in which they are published, 

 but as the series increases consultation of the annual indexes becomes so 

 burdensome that few readers take the time necessary to run through many 

 years. Thus the contents are apt to become practically lost unless made 

 available through the publication of good general indexes. The recent 

 appearance of the 'Second Ten- Year Index to the Condor' and the plans 

 now being made for another decennial ' Index of The Auk, ' suggest the 

 importance of more attention to this feature of ornithological publication 

 and more careful consideration of what has already been accomplished in 

 rendering accessible the ever-increasing mass of ornithological papers. 



Among English serials the 'Proceedings of the Zoological Society of 

 London, ' one of the oldest scientific publications now in existence which 

 publishes papers on birds, was begun in 1830 and has thus far pub- 

 lished 7 general indexes for its 80 or more volumes — the first in 1847 

 and one every ten years from 1860 to 1910. 'The Ibis,' now in its 61st 

 volume, began in 1859 and has appeared in series of six volumes each. It 

 has the distinction of being one of the most frequently indexed scientific 

 journals, with at least four sets of indexes — an annual one at the end of 

 each volume, a six-year subject index at the close of each series, a general 

 index of genera and species at the end of each third series, and a general 

 subject-index for the first 36 volumes. Of the general indexes three have 

 been published for series 1-3, 4-6, and 7-9, covering the years 1859-1912; 

 but only one general subject-index has thus far appeared and this includes 

 the first six series from 1859 to 1894. For later years it is necessary to 

 consult the indexes at the end of each series. In addition a list of the 



