220 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXIV. No. 607. 



Marked progress in this direction is taking place, 

 but until the cooperation of authors and publish- 

 ing bodies has been secured it will always be 

 difficult for the bureaus to deal effectively with 

 the literature which they are required to index. 

 The collection of the necessary subject-matter 

 should become aiitomatic in proportion as effective 

 action is taken to secure the proper indexing of 

 papers at the time of issue; at the same time the 

 cost to the regional bureaus should be reduced in 

 a corresponding manner. 



At the meeting of the International Association 

 of Academies in London last year, it was re- 

 solved to ask the several constituent academies 

 to cooperate in the production of the catalogue in 

 their several coimtries by securing the indexing 

 of scientiiic journals at the time of issue. The 

 central bureau is satisfied that it is imperative 

 that the several regional bureaus should in every 

 way exert their influence in order to bring about 

 such cooperation between publishing bodies gen- 

 erally and the International Catalogu« of Scien- 

 tific Literature. 



Assuming the catalogue to be established as a 

 permanent enterprise, it can not fail to exercise 

 an influence in various directions on the work of 

 scientific inquiry. The suggestion has already 

 been made to the central bureau that it should be 

 prepared to give information as to the state of 

 knowledge in particular subjects — as is already 

 done, for example, by the authorities of the 

 Bibliographia Zoologica in Zurich. The inclusion 

 on the staff of the central bureau of persons able 

 to collate such information would add much to its 

 efficiency, and it is to be hoped that it may be 

 possible at no distant date. 



For such a purpose and in the general interests 

 of scientific workers, it is desirable, moreover, not 

 only that the central bureau should be provided 

 with lists of new species but also that physical 

 constants should be recorded on special slips 

 in order that complete lists of such data may be 

 tabulated. 



Another suggestion which has been made to the 

 central bureau is that at the end of ten years 

 a decennial index of each subject should be pre- 

 pared, which, if not a reproduction of the ten 

 separate volumes, should be at least a key to 

 them. 



The present price of each annual issue is fixed 

 at seventeen pounds to contracting bodies. Al- 

 though it is most important that the price should 

 be. reduced, it is not possible, at present, to take 

 any steps in this direction. But it will be de- 



sirable to authorize the executive committee to 

 make reductions whenever this becomes possible. 



The originators of the catalogue always looked 

 forward to the amalgamation of their enterprise 

 with some of the existing agencies by which scien- 

 tific literature is indexed, often at a considerable 

 cost and with far more limited opportunities for 

 collecting the necessary material than are now at 

 the disposal of the International Catalogue. The 

 executive committee have, therefore, great pleas- 

 ure in recommending that during the period 1906- 

 1910 the publication of the zoology catalogue be 

 carried out in conjunction with the Zoological 

 Society of London, by whom, during the past 

 forty years, the well-known index of zoological 

 literature. The Zoological Record, has been issued. 



The agreement would be that the volumes are 

 issued with a double title page, as volumes of the 

 International Catalogue and as volumes of the 

 Zoological Record, in both cases appropriately 

 numbered in continuation with the volumes al- 

 ready issued. The cost of printing and publish- 

 ing would be charged to the International Cata- 

 logue, together with a sum equal to that hitherto 

 expended by the central bureau on special ex- 

 pert assistance. All further costs on account 

 of the revision and arrangement of the material 

 would be borne by the Zoological Society. The 

 International Catalogue would receive the pro- 

 ceeds of all subscriptions and sales. The Zoolog- 

 ical Society would appoint a committee of ex- 

 perts to prepare for press the material supplied 

 by the central bureau. The committee of experts 

 would be responsible for the scientific accuracy of 

 the volume, whilst the central bureau would see 

 that the volumes are produced in general accord- 

 ance with the principles adopted in the catalogue 

 as a whole, 



SCHEDULES. 



Tlie schedules accepted for use during the first 

 period of five years have been found in practise 

 to answer remarkably well, except in the case of 

 physics, which has proved to be far too narrow 

 in its provisions, 



A proposal to issue the zoology volumes in 

 parts has been made. It appears desirable to 

 adopt this proposal; the experience gained in 

 connection with this subject will be of value in 

 determining whether a similar course should be 

 adopted in regard to other volumes. 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. 

 The British Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science will meet next year at Lei- 



