352 Darwinism and Other Essays. 



consulted, and too often are consulted in vain, or 

 give conflicting testimony which serves to raise 

 the most curious and perplexing questions. To 

 the outside world such anxious minuteness seems 

 useless pedantry ; but any sceptic who should 

 serve six months in a library would become con- 

 vinced that without it an alphabetical catalogue 

 would soon prove unmanageable. " Imagine the 

 heading ' SMITH, J.,' in such a catalogue ! " says 

 Professor Abbot. Where a name is very com- 

 mon, we are fain to add whatever distinctive 

 epithet we can lay hold of ; as in the case of six 

 entries of " WILSON, William," which are differ- 

 enced by the addition of " Scotch Covenanter," 

 " poet, of London," " M. A., of Musselburgh," " of 

 Poughkeepsie," "Vicar of Walthamstow," "Pres. 

 of the Warrington Nat. Hist. Soc." l 



New difficulties arise when the title-page leaves 

 it doubtful whether the name upon it is that of 

 the author, or that of an editor or compiler. The 

 names of editors and translators are often omitted, 

 and must be sought in bibliographical dictionaries. 

 Dedicatory epistles, biographical sketches, or in- 

 troductory notices are often prefixed, signed with 



1 Sometimes these headings are very odd, as in the case of a host 

 of "John Jacksons," one of whom is neatly distinguished as " JACK- 

 SOS, John, murderer," the work thus catalogued being the "con- 

 fession " of one John Jackson who had murdered his wife. 



