Preface 



date irrespective of the authors' names, with the endeavour to present the 

 subject in the historical form. This grouping of the entries, involving 

 modifications of titles prepared by different Referees, or by the same Referee 

 at different times, has been one of the most difficult problems in the 

 preparation of the Index. 



The abbreviations of the names of the serials used in the Royal Society 

 Catalogue have been further shortened for the Index. As the abbreviations 

 are not uniform in all the volumes, it will be found that the same journal 

 may be indicated by several different abbreviations, but in each case the 

 one selected is that which was used in the volume in which the title of 

 the paper occurs. 



In the case of serials commencing since 1883, the abbreviations adopted 

 in the International Catalogue have been used as a guide. 



The list of serials will, it is hoped, be a valuable feature of the Index. 

 It has been drawn up by the Director and contains the names of 701 serials 

 from which the entries in the Index have been taken. Each title is pre- 

 ceded by the abbreviation which represents the serial in the Index ; the 

 date of commencement of the serial is given, and if it is extinct the date of 

 the last volume is added. There are appended symbols representing the 

 names of twenty-three British Libraries in some of which the serials may be 

 found ; where the set is incomplete the symbol is followed by i. The in- 

 formation from which this list has been compiled was obtained, in the first 

 instance, from published catalogues ; subsequently the list was submitted 

 to the custodians of many of the libraries, who kindly marked many serials 

 which had not been found in the catalogues used. The thanks of the 

 Committee for this valuable assistance are due to Mr F. Jenkinson of the 

 Cambridge University Library, Mr E. W. B. Nicholson of the Bodleian 

 Library, the Librarian of the Radcliffe Library, the Librarian of the 

 Patent Office, Dr B. Daydon Jackson and Mr A. W. Kappel of the 

 Linnean Society, Mr W. H. Wesley of the Royal Astronomical Society, 

 Mr C. V. Crook of the Geological Museum, Mr F. W. Clifford of the 

 Chemical Society, and Mr R. W. Chambers of University College, London ; 

 Mr R. Lloyd Praeger obtained the information from the five libraries in 

 Dublin, and Dr Hugh Marshall, F.R.S., from two libraries in Edinburgh 

 and two in Glasgow. 



Although much care has been expended in making this list as accurate 

 as possible, it is probable that some errors will still be found and the Director 

 will be thankful to any one who will send corrections : portions of the list 

 will be required for the subsequent volumes of the Index. 



The subjects are arranged under the registration numbers adopted in 

 the International Catalogue; a copy of Schedule A, Mathematics, is pre- 

 fixed to the Index, with indication of the pages on which the titles for the 



viz 



