^°*i9lf^'^] Correspondence. 569 



ago by a small body of subscribers and was subsequently taken over 

 by the Zoological Society was in 1906 amalgamated with the zoological 

 portion of the International Catalogue of Scientific Literature and has 

 now reached its 48th annual issue. The International Catalogue of Scien- 

 tific Literature was established in 1900 and is in effect a continuation of 

 the Royal Society's Catalogue of Scientific Papers which when completed 

 will cover the period 1800-1900. 



By an arrangement made between the Royal Society and the scientific 

 representatives of most of the other countries of the world appointed by 

 their respective governments an International Organization was estab- 

 lished, by means of which each of the component countries collects the 

 titles of all papers and works of scientific importance published within 

 their limits and forwards them to the International Bureau in London. 

 These titles which are all written on separate shps, are by the Bureau 

 distributed to the recorders or compilers of the various subjects of which 

 there are 17 in all, Zoology forming one. 



The duty of each Recorder is to arrange all the titles received for pub- 

 lication and to search for other titles which have been omitted or passed 

 over by the regional bureaus of the co-operating states. It is also the duty 

 of the Recorder to collect titles from those states which do not co-operate 

 as well as those published in the British Islands. 



As regards the Aves portion of the Catalogue I find some countries pro- 

 vide a very complete series of titles while others do not and one of the 

 objects of this letter and the accompanying table is to draw attention to 

 this fact. In the first column of the table is given the number of titles 

 collected by the Recorder himself, in the second column the number which 

 has reached him through the Bureau. It will be seen that out of 307 titles 

 of Ornithological papers and publications coming from the United States 

 40 were supplied by the Recorder. 



It is also very desirable for the Recorder to verify all the titles sent 

 in so as to be able to reject those which are of no scientific value and impor- 

 tance. I find in the case of 'Aves' titles from the United States that this 

 is by no means easy as so many of the minor and more local periodicals are 

 not to be found on the shelves of the great scientific libraiies in London. 

 For instance I have not been able to see in London such publications as 

 Bird Lore, Cassinia, the Journal of the Maine Ornithological Society and 

 other local journals of the same type. I hope therefore that if these lines 

 are seen by the editors of these journals they will take steps to arrange 

 that copies may be regularly transmitted to the Library of the Natural 

 History Museum in Cromwell Road or to that of the Zoological or Royal 

 Societies so that the Recorder may have an opportimity of seeing them. 

 Yours faithfully, 



W. L. SCLATER, 



Corresponding Felloiv A. 0. U., Recorder of Aves. 



