February 4, 1898.] 



SCIENCE. 



169 



partly due to the fact that this valuable 

 Bibliography, which is offered in either card 

 catalogue or in sheet form with brief abstracts 

 of the papers catalogued, has not been suffi- 

 ciently advertised in this country. Although 

 an international undertaking, it is largely due 

 to the enterprise and scientific spirit of Dr. 

 Field, and deserves the warm support of every 

 institution in this countrj'. 



It is stated in the Bulletin of the New York 

 Public Library that the total number of period- 

 icals and transactions of societies to which the 

 library is subscribing, for the year 1898, is 2,502. 

 Of these 483 are American, 497 British, 595 

 French, 660 German, 125 Italian, 36 Scandina- 

 vian, 27 Belgian, 16 Dutch and 12 Russian. 

 During the calendar year ending December 31, 

 1897, the total number of volumes received by 

 purchase was 16,098, and by gift, 10,128, mak- 

 ing a total of 26,226. The total number of 

 volumes catalogued and accessioned during the 

 same period was 29,792. The number of pamph- 

 lets actualh' received during the year, by pur- 

 chase, was 10,350, by gift, 40,247, and the total 

 number catalogued and accessioned was 15,274. 

 The total number of cards written during the 

 year was 156,925. In addition to this, 15,404 

 slips from the printer were written, and for 

 each of these slips five printed cards were ob- 

 tained. The total number of cards in the Index 

 Catalogue, which was open to readers, on the 

 31st of December, 1897, at the Astor Branch 

 was about 80,000, at the Lenox Branch it was 

 27,800. The total number of readers during the 

 year was 103,884, and the number of volumes 

 called for by readers' slips, outside of those 

 taken from the free reference shelves, was 

 304,466. 



In accordance with the directions of the 

 Pennsylvania Fish Protective Association, the. 

 Executive Committee of that body has drafted 

 and forwarded the following letter to President 

 McKinley with respect to the appointment of a 

 United States Fish Commissioner. 



Philadelphfa, January 13, 1898. 



To the President of the United Slates: The public 

 press has recently announced a contemplated change 

 in the oflSce of the United States Commissioner of 

 Fish and Fisheries. Ihe Pennsylvania Fish Protec- 

 tive Association, fully recognizing the usefulness and 



high state of efficiency to which the work of this de- 

 partment of the government has been brought, would 

 respectfully ask that, in making any appointment, 

 due regard should be had to a compliance with the 

 provisions of the statute providing for the proper 

 qualifications of such Commissioner. We are, very 

 respectfully, 



E. Hagert, President. 



M. G. Sellers, Secretary. 



The Cairo correspondent of the London 

 Times writes: "The Egyptian government 

 have abolished the important Fisheries Admin- 

 istration of Damietta and Lake Menzaleh, an 

 antiquated institution under Levantine and 

 native management, in which serious abuses 

 had been discovered. In place of the former 

 mode of collecting the revenue, by a duty on 

 the fish caught, an annual tax is imposed on 

 the fishing boats, and the alacrity with which 

 this tax has been paid would indicate that the 

 change is welcomed by the fishermen, though 

 grave doubts are expressed lest unlimited li- 

 cense to fish uncontrolled by the teaching of 

 science may result in depletion of the fishing 

 grounds of Menzaleh, which comprise an area 

 of 60,000 acres and are the resort of large 

 shoals of salt-water fish. The new measure 

 has involved the dismissal of Dr. J. C. Mitchell, 

 scientific expert to the administration during 

 18 mouths and previously professor of zoology 

 at the Ghizeh Agricultural College, who holds 

 very complimentary testimonials from the 

 Ministries of Finance and Public Instruction, 

 also from her Britannic Majesty's Agent. It is 

 to be regretted that government, in the present 

 necessity for economy, cannot utilize his scien- 

 tific attainments and fluent knowledge of Arabic 

 in some other department. His abrupt dis- 

 missal after six years of good service has created 

 an unpleasant feeling amongst the other officials 

 who, like him, have accepted offers made by 

 government, in the reasonable expectation that 

 they were entering a permanent service. ' ' 



The Council of the Soci6te d'Acclimatation 

 has decided to issue, in addition to the Bulletin 

 of the Society, a monthly journal which it is 

 hoped will become the medium of communica- 

 tion between those interested in the objects of 

 the Society. Great weight will be laid on the 

 department of discussion, and the Secretary will 



