100 BULLETIN OF THE 



Knobel, E, B.: Reference Catalogue of Astronomical Papers 



and Researches. 8vo. 1876. 

 (Exhibited to the Society.) 

 Mr. Knobel has been for some time engaged in the formation 

 of an index-catalogue to scientific papers, books, etc. on certain 

 subjects of stellar astronomy which was intended to be exhaustive 

 of their literature. The subjects chosen were: 1, Double Stars, 

 and the theory of Binaries ; 2, Variable Stars ; '6, Red Stars ; 

 4, Nebulae and Clusters; 5, Proper motions of Stars; 6, Parallax 

 of Stars ; 1, Stellar Spectra. 



The libraries of the Royal Society, of the Royal Astronomical 

 Society, and others, were completely indexed as to these tuples, 

 and that of the British Museum was constantly consulted. Under 

 each head the titles of periodicals and names of authors are given 

 alphabetically and in the briefest way; references are made to the 

 volume and page. The titles of books and of the most important 

 memoirs are given in full, while the minor papers are referred to 

 only by volume and page. 



Brevity has been studied in every way. In the references to 

 the Astronomische Nachrichten only the number is given, omit- 

 ting the column, etc. etc. The Royal Astronomical Society's 

 Monthly Notices are in the subject of "Double Stars," where 

 every volume contains many references, only referred to generally. 

 In other subjects where the references are more scattered, these 

 are referred to b}^ title and page. 



Double Stars, etc. occupies 



Va7'iable Stars " 



Red Stars " 



Nebulse and Clusters " 



Pi'oper motions " 



Stellar Parallax, etc. " 



Star -spectra " 



In Double Stars I find more than TOO single references, and the 

 other subjects are equally full. It is original work, the Royal 

 Society's Catalogue being used for verification only. It is brought 

 up to 1876, and contains above 3000 titles. I have examined 

 that portion of Mr. Knobel's Catalogue which relates to Nebulse 

 and Clusters line by line, almost entry by entry, by means of a 

 catalogue of works on the same subject which I have myself made, 

 and I have not found in the whole list more than one or two erro- 

 neous references, and these were not such as would interfere with 

 the finding of the paper sought for. Only one important paper 

 is omitted, viz , D'Arrest's Siderum Nebulosorum observationes 

 Havnienses. It has an original value which must not be over- 

 looked. It was formed by looking through the works consulted 

 and extracting what was required, and not by extracting refer- 

 ences to them from known indexes, such as the Royal Society 

 Catalogue, and therefore it may appropriately be used as a check 



