AvuGust 4, 1899. ] 
lengthened to four places, so as to remove 
the outward form of a decimal system ; but, 
from want of experience in such matiters, 
numerous pitfalls have not been avoided. 
The second objection contained in the 
Comumittee’s statements is one of extreme 
gravity ; but it is a mere assertion, which a 
single glance at the Bibliography of the 
Concilium Bibliographicum would show to 
be utterly false. The Committee asserts 
that the decimal system is ‘ quite inappli- 
cable’ to sciences which need a double sys- 
tem of registration, such as Geology, Zool- 
ogy, ete. It is well known, however, that 
the system is being applied to Zoology by 
Professor Carus, by myself and by others 
with entire success. Indeed, were I to select 
a single feature to show the paramount 
superiority of the decimal system it would 
be this facility of double registration. The 
Swiss Zoological Society voted warm ap- 
proval of this method. The Executive Com- 
mittee of the Swiss Society, corresponding 
to the British and American Associations 
for the Advancement of Science, was con- 
vened to a special session for the sole pur- 
pose of arriving at a definite conclusion 
as to the merits of this system. The Com- 
mittee examined carefully the work of the 
Concilium Bibliographicum and pronounced 
the system vastly superior to that proposed 
by the Royal Society, and petitioned the 
federal government to oppose the proposed 
modification. A technical commission 
consulted by the federal authorities ex- 
pressed the same opinion, as did also the 
Swiss Library Committee and the dele- 
gates appointed to attend the London Con- 
ference. 
ernment felt that it was committed to sup- 
porting the scheme of the Royal Society. 
Finally, a last conference was held under 
the presidency of the Minister of Interior 
and voted unanimously to make the ad- 
hesion of Switzerland absolutely dependent 
-upon the decimal system being adopted. 
- SCIENCE. 
This all took place after the gov-. 
137 
Such testimony from those who know the 
working of the system best is surely worth 
more than a simple assertion to the contrary 
by persons who evidently do not know the 
system condemned. Not merely is there 
abundant internal evidence that the state- 
ments made by the Committee must have 
been made in ignorance of. the methods 
which it so severely condemns, but it can be 
proved by the books of the Concilium that 
they could not have studied the matter by 
examining our cards. Not merely has the 
Royal Society never subscribed to the cards 
issued by the Concilium, but there is only 
a single subscriber in all England who re- 
ceives a set of cards sufficiently complete 
for it to be regarded as afairsample. This 
subscriber has written that he is greatly im- 
pressed with the success of the methods 
followed by the Concilium, especially in the 
matter of the double system of registration. 
He states that the cards have never been 
examined by anyone connected with the 
Royal Society’s undertaking. There is evi- 
dence, therefore, that this condemnation 
has been passed without knowledge of the 
thing condemned, for a final judgment with 
regard to the merits of such a bibliograph- 
ical system cannot be reached, save by 
knowing it in its application to cards 
Having met all the objections raised 
against the decimal system, I shall now say 
a word on the system which is proposed to 
replace it. Having, as already stated, tried 
this latter on several thousand cards, I can 
‘state, without fear of contradiction, that it 
fails utterly, as far at least as Zoology is 
concerned. 
The zoological schedule proposed by the 
Royal Societies comprises two distinct parts, 
each designated by 2 figures. One part 
consists of what we should term the sys- 
tematic classification and comprises 33 heads 
designated by the series of even numbers 
from 2 (or 02, as this is written, so as al- 
ways to have two figures) to66. The other 
