316 REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE, ETC. 



showed me every kindness and displayed great zeal in obtaining the material 

 I needed. ^My chief object was to study the development of the nephridia in 

 the later larval stages of amphiosus — stages which have hitherto been very 

 difficult to obtain in Naples. After initial failures we eventually found larvae 

 in abundance, and I hope soon to be able to publish the results of my researches 

 on living and preserved specimens. I also obtained other material, including 

 the interesting worm lioncllia viridi<. 



Dr. Helen Pixell Gioodrich : During part of June and July this year I 

 occupied the British Association Table at the Stazione Zoologica, Naples. 

 Plentiful material was obtained for me in excellent condition for work on 

 parasitic protozoa. Two species of Holothuria were found to have several 

 more parasites than have been previously described, and several specimens of 

 two lather rare species of Synapta were also obtained for me to examine. In 

 addition to this, I continued some investigations on Gonospora glycerae from 

 Rhynchobolus. these having been in abeyance since early in the War owing to 

 the impossibility of obtaining material. 



Some other Polychfeta. also Bonellia. were examined. 



The if'sults of these investigations will, I hope, be ready for publication 

 in the near future. 



Zoological Bibliography and Publication.— ^<'pori of Committee 



(Professor E. B. Poulton, Chairman; Dr. F. A. Bathee, Secre- 

 tary; Mr. E. Heeon-Allen, Dr. W. Evans Hoyle, Dr. P. 

 Chalmees Mitchell). 



Correspondence in Xatiire on the excessive cost of scientific periodical publica- 

 tions induced the Secretary to write a letter pointing out that adherence to 

 the recommendations of this Committee would frequently reduce the cost of 

 printing. This led to application for the Reports and Circulars of the Com- 

 mittee from many to whose notice they were thus brought for the first time. 

 Several copies were dispatched, especially to India. 



Tlie attention of a few editors has been drawn to the principles and methods 

 advocated by the Committee as the need has seemed to arise. Some editors 

 are curiously reluctant to edit their authors. One editor, for instance, pro- 

 tested that he could not ask his contributors to add to the titles of their papers 

 a word explaining the class of the animal kingdom to which the .subjects of 

 their description belonged. Many of his contributors, we observe, do this, 

 presumably of tlieir own accord, and we doubt not that the others would follow 

 their example were its usefulness pointed out to them. Indeed, our experi- 

 ence is that most authors are grateful for advice of this kind, and err only 

 from ignorance of the better way. But as the Committee cannot approach 

 every individual author, it must rely on the help of editors. 



In all the matters for which the Committee has from time to time desired 

 the attention of authors and editors there is a gradual assimilation to the 

 practice that it recommends. ^Most new publications follow the recommenda- 

 tions, and this confirms us in our belief that we ars working on the right lines. 

 There is, however, stiil a field for our efforts. Authors' reprints, for example, 

 are still repaged in many cases, and are too often distributed without the 

 correct date or other bibliographic details. In a paper thought of such import- 

 ance by its author as to be issued three times in various forms there was no 

 indication that several of the generic and specific names were being used for 

 the first time. It was not till several days' search failed to find one of them 

 in previous literature that this fact was suspected and then confirmed by inquiry 

 of the distant author. How many weary hours might be saved to scientific 

 workers if authors would but give five minutes to notifying these small details ! 



Your Committee, therefore, asks for reappointment, with a grant of II. to 

 cover postage and minor printing expenses. It returns an unexpended balance 

 of 17s. from a similar grant last year. 



