32 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



BOOK NOTICE. 

 Catalogue of Scientific and Periodical Literature in 

 the Melbourne Libraries. By T. S. Hall, M.A., Hon. 

 Librarian Royal Society of Victoria. Melbourne : By 

 Authority — R. S. Brain, Government Printer. 

 This work, as its title indicates, is a catalogue of the scientific 

 periodical literature, reports, &c, in the possession of various 

 libraries in Melbourne, such as those of the Government depart- 

 ments, scientific societies, &c. A mere glance at the Catalogue, 

 which extends to 225 pages, fails to indicate the amount of time 

 and labour which it must have cost the compiler. In the first 

 place, no less than forty-nine libraries have been referred to for 

 works which at any time are difficult to catalogue and keep in 

 order. About 1,330 titles of publications or publishing bodies 

 and societies are quoted, though of course some of these have 

 now ceased to exist or to publish. Many of these have one or 

 more cross references, while numbers of these main headings 

 contain several minor ones, such as the Field Columbian Museum 

 of Chicago, which issues nine different publications, the Linnean 

 Society of London with seven, while a Government like that of 

 the United States requires nine pages for its various publications. 

 The value of the work to the student will be that he can at once 

 ascertain if a required work is in any of the Melbourne libraries 

 and in which. Naturally the Melbourne Public Library is referred 

 to the most frequently, then probably those of the Royal Society, 

 the National Museum and Observatory. Many of the publi- 

 cations are to be found in four or five libraries, while such a publi- 

 cation as Nature is to be found, more or less complete, in four- 

 teen, though four of these have now ceased to take it in. The 

 author is to be congratulated on the completeness and careful 

 arrangement of his Catalogue, the publication of which was under- 

 taken by the Trustees of the Public Library, Museums, and 

 National Gallery of Victoria. F. G. A. B. 



Numbers of Insects. — In the recently issued volume of the 

 " Cambridge Natural History," dealing with Insects (part 2), Dr. 

 D. Sharp gives some estimates of the various kinds of insects 

 known. He says there are about one hundred and fifty thousand 

 species of beetles, fifty thousand species of butterflies and moths, 

 forty thousand species of Diptera (two-winged flies), and perhaps 

 three thousand species of bees, wasps, &c, with many more yet 

 to be described. 



The Society for the Protection of Birds (London) has 

 issued its ninth annual report, and now counts 22,000 members, 

 with a satisfactory credit balance. The work of the society 

 extends to all parts of the world, and we believe that its influence 

 for good is gaining ground. 



