Sheppard: Yorkshive’s Contribution to Science. 19 
in which their publications appear, it is necessary to refer to a 
legion of literary productions appearing in other parts of the 
country, and even abroad. But this is not all. Important 
papers of local interest frequently appear in the reports 
of our leading Metropolitan societies—the Linnean, Entomo- 
logical, Geological, Paleontographical, Antiquarian and even 
Astronomical: the Royal Society, the Royal Microscopical, 
Royal Geographical and others, as well as the British Association. 
Having formed a fairly good basis by an examination of all 
these as they appear, as wellas of the lists of scientific publications, 
additions to the libraries, etc., which some of these societies 
issue, it is necessary to see the various scientific quarterlies ; the 
monthly journals such as the Zoologist, Entomologist, Entomo- 
dogist’s Monthly Magazine, Entomologist’ s Record, The Selborne 
Magazine, Knowledge, British Birds, Wild Life, The Geological 
Magazne, The Antiquary, The Geographical Journal; The Annals 
and Magazine of Natural History; Nature; The Mineralogical 
Magazine, and, may Tadd, The Naturalist, and even stray notes 
on our area now and then appear in magazines specially devoted 
to others, such as the Ivish Naturalist, The Scottish Naturalist, 
The Lancashire and Cheshire Naturalist, and so on. 
Our Museums, too, which, quite properly, are yearly increasing 
in numbers and importance, are adding enormously to the 
flood of scientific publications. I recently saw that one of the 
most modern of our Yorkshire public museums had issued its 
“Publication, No. 120.’ 
I have by no means exhausted the lists if likely sources for 
information in the compilation of bibliographies for the use of 
workers, but enough has been said to show that their preparation 
is likely to keep the compiler out of mischief. I am not now 
‘quite certain why I first commenced this kind of work; I can 
only hope it has kept me busy! 
In our publication, The Naturalist, it has now and then been 
necessary to refer to the nature of the Journals or Proceedings sent 
for notice. At times, it is quite possible, the authors or editors 
or publishers have not been too hilarious over the review or the 
criticism offered. But in very many cases it seems to be for- 
gotten that the essentials of a local publication should be that they 
should contain original notes bearing upon the district covered by 
that publication. -Lectures on Protective Colouration, Astronomy, 
The Human Skull, Petroleum, Japan, Quartz, Climbing Plants, 
Corkscrews, and Peacocks (to quote some from recent publica- 
tions) are’all very well in their way, and are desirable and even 
essential ; but it rarely happens that anything really original, 7... 
a definite contribution to science, will be made, under these heads, 
to a local natural history society. Therefore, such reports 
usually merely gratify the vanity of the readers of the papers, 
which should be discouraged. A single record of a single shell, or 
2915 Jan. 1. 
