726 REPORT— 1895. 



infected or suspected oysters by a simple mode of treatment wliicli will render 

 them innocuous, a great boon will have been conferred upon both the oyster trade 

 and the oyster-consuming public. 



We desire to acknowledge the kind help of Mr. W. I. Beaumont in making 

 some of the observations at Port Erin, and of Mr. Andrew Scott at Liverpool. 



On the Oyster Culture in the Colne District. 

 By Dr. H. C. Sorby, F.R.S. 



7. On Fish and Fishing Grounds in the Nortli Sea. 

 By J. T. CuxNiNcnAM, B.A. 



8. The Organisation of Zoological Bibliography. 

 By Herbert Haviland Field, Pli.D. 



Arrangements are now almost completed for the establishment of an inter- 

 national bibliographical bureau for zoology. This bureau, the organisation of which 

 was begun some three years ago, will be located at Ziiricb, Switzerland. It will 

 publish a series of bibliographical journals, as follows: 1, a fortnightly bulletin : 

 '2, an edition of the bulletin printed on thin paper, and only on one side of the 

 sheet, so that it may be cut up and used for other bibliographical elaboration ; 

 and 3, a complete card-catalogue of all zoological literature published after 

 1895. In addition, the ' Zoologischer Jahre.ibericht ' will be federated with the 

 undertaking, so as to alFord an annual list of titles, arranged alphabetically by 

 authors. 



In the pamphlet edition the titles will be classified under a series of headings, 

 corresponding to the systematic groups of animals. The cards will be of the 

 standard library size, and will be essentially ' authors' cards.' They will, how- 

 ever, bear a set of simple symbols, which will permit them to be classified in one 

 of several ditleren: ways, according to the special needs of each individual sub- 

 scriber, viz. ], alphabetically by authors; 2, systematically by groups of animals; 

 ■J, morphologically by organ systems; or 4, faunistically by zoogeographical 

 regions. The system of symbols is so simple that the cards could be arranged 

 by any laboratory boy or library assistant, no knowledge of the science being 

 involved. 



All the above classifications will be based upon a study of the text itself; and 

 incidental observations, though not mentioned in the title, will be brought out 

 and used as cross-references. Each chapter will then be complete in itself, for it 

 will contain, as far as possible, all observations published on the subject, whether 

 published as whole papers, or as accessory notes in a paper, Avhose major part is of 

 a very different nature. In a word, the unit for the classification will be the 

 individual observation paragraph, not the paper as a whole. 



In various parts of the world the bureau will be aided by, 1, national com- 

 mittees ; 2, correspondents ; and 3, sub-bureaux. The national committees of 

 several countries are already organised. They are to use their inOuence in 

 securing for the bureau such publications as cannot be eonstilted in any library 

 to which we have access — the Swiss libraries, that of the Zoological Station at 

 Naples, and those of Leipzig. In case the journals themselves cannot be 

 oTitained they are to be reported by correspondents. It is, however, so mani- 

 festly in the interest of each author and of every publishing firm or scientific 

 society to make its publications known that co-operation is assured. The matter 

 has already been studied by the French and American committees in considerable 

 detail, and they have found that it is perfectly possible to obtain the journals in 

 the way indicated. There is no reason to suppose that England will show her- 



