V ° 1 i907 :iV ] Correspondence. 117 



cliffs. The maps illustrate the invasion of the Little Auk in 1894-95; 

 the dispersal of the nesting of the Starling and of the Tufted Duck, the 

 Firth of Tay and adjoining region, and there is a general map of the Tay 

 Basin and Strathmore, shaded to show relative elevation of the country. — 

 J. A. A. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



The Concilium Bibliographicum as a Bureau of Ornithological 

 Information. 



To the Editors of 'The Auk': — 



Dear Sirs: — The Concilium Bibliographicum was founded in 1895 by the 

 International Congress of Zoology for the purpose of recording in a perma- 

 nent way all notices regarding zoology published since 1896. Every paper 

 is entered on a bibliographical card, usually with a short statement of the 

 contents, and these cards are most minutely classified. Thus a paper on 

 the Limicolse of Michigan, with notes on nesting and observations on 

 albinism would receive four entries, Limicolse, Fauna of Michigan, Nesting, 

 • and Coloration. If the paper contained descriptions of new forms, each 

 of these would be noted on a separate card. The cards relating to new 

 species are not as yet printed; but the others are supplied in any desired 

 combination, e. g., cards on the Fauna of Michigan, on Nesting or Bird- 

 song, on Migration, on Coloration, or references to a given group of birds, 

 as Limicolse or Parrots. 



A large portion of the expense of maintaining the Concilium is defrayed 

 by the Swiss government. There is, however, a fee charged for every set 

 of references, depending on the number of cards supplied. Soon after 

 its foundation the Concilium was universally recognized as the central 

 agency of the whole world for such work, and to-day there is no country 

 participating in the scientific movement that does not receive cards, the 

 total number annually distributed aggregating nearly one million. 



There are, however, certain strange anomalies in the participation of 

 various constituencies. The most singular fact is that American orni- 

 thologists have remained aloof. This circumstance paralyses all our efforts 

 at improving this section of the work. We can not feel justified in attrib- 

 uting any large portion of our subsidies for preparing lists that are not 

 used. Nevertheless, with the positive conviction that this is only a 

 transient feature, we have for over ten years never wavered in prosecuting 



