PREFACE 



~VT7"HEN the plan for a Catalogue of Scientific Papers was drawn up in 

 * 1857 by the Royal Society, it was also contemplated that a Subject 

 Index to the papers should be made. During the compilation of the well 

 known twelve volumes of the Catalogue of Authors (1800 1883) much 

 material was collected for the Subject Index by the Committee of the 

 Society which had charge of the work, but nothing was printed. 



In 1898 it was determined to undertake the continuation for the period 

 1884 1900, and at the same time to prepare material for a Subject Index 

 for these last seventeen years of the century. It was afterwards decided 

 that one Index should be made to the papers of the whole of the Nineteenth 

 Century ; and to bring this Index into relation with the International 

 Catalogue of Scientific Literature, which deals with publications subsequent 

 to 1900, the Index was to be arranged in accordance with the schedules of 

 the different sciences which form the basis of the International Catalogue. 



The extent of the work for the period 18841900 proved to be so 

 great that the resources of the Royal Society would have been quite 

 inadequate for its completion. Its continuation has been made possible by 

 liberal donations received from various sources. The Catalogue is especially 

 indebted to Dr Ludwig Mond, F.R.S., a member of the Committee entrusted 

 with its preparation, who has encouraged and forwarded its progress in every 

 way for many years past; in particular, in addition to similar generous 

 donations at earlier stages, Dr Mond recently undertook to provide an 

 extremely liberal subsidy during the three years 1907 9, which has enabled 

 the work to be pressed forward rapidly. 



The Subject Index will be published as separate Index-volumes for each 

 of the seventeen Sciences of the Schedules of the International Catalogue, 

 viz. Mathematics, Mechanics, Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy, Meteorology, 

 Mineralogy, Geology, Geography, Palaeontology, Biology, Botany, Zoology, 

 Anatomy, Anthropology, Physiology, and Bacteriology. 



The practical advantage which will accrue from thus classifying the 

 literature of each Science seems to be amply sufficient, in spite of un- 

 avoidable imperfections, to justify the great expense that has been involved. 

 In the past a student interested in a single branch of the subject would 

 probably consult special Treatises and Reports from which he could obtain 

 references to the more important memoirs. But it often happens that 

 such references are transferred simply from one treatise to another, and 



