1014 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XVII. No. 443. 



controlled. The results, always with the con- 

 dition that the proper use is made of the 

 standard skull, are as uniform and as near 

 the reality as can be reasonably hoped for. 



The apparatus I use is not made for the 

 market, but it should not be difficult for any 

 one sufficiently interested to have it con- 

 structed, following the given directions. 



Ales Hrdlicka. 



U. S. National Museum. 



NEW DEPABTUEES IN THE CONCILIUM BIBLIO- 



QRAPHICUM. n. THE SUPPLEMENTARY 



BIBLIOGRAPHY. 



This portion of the great catalogue exists 

 primarily in manuscript form. As fast, how- 

 ever, as the demand for any part becomes 

 great enough the cards are duplicated by a 

 new lithographic process. Should the de- 

 mand become still greater, typography would 

 be resorted to. This ought certainly to be 

 the case for the American section. 



The references consist of such entries as 

 can not for practical reasons be admitted into 

 the general bibliography. The price of any 

 given collection of cards is double that charged 

 for the same number of cards taken from the 

 main bibliography, ranging thus from half a 

 cent to two cents a card. 



1. New Genera, Species, Subspecies, etc. — 

 As was shown in the first part of the pres- 

 ent article, the Concilium adopted several 

 years ago the uniform practice of reading, 

 or at least perusing, the test of every publi- 

 cation entered in the bibliography. In this 

 way the descriptions of all families, subfam- 

 ilies, genera, subgenera, species, subspecies, 

 etc., described in zoology passed before our 

 eyes. It seemed under such circumstances a 

 great pity that the information thus acquired 

 should not be placed at the service of the 

 zoological world. A beginning was made by 

 referring to every new species under the ap- 

 propriate genus name in connection with the 

 printed cards. This has been made a perma- 

 nent feature of the card catalogue, and no 

 card is now issued which does not bring refer- 

 ences to all new species described and to all 

 new names introduced by the author. Many 

 zoological memoirs contain descriptions of 



several hundred new species; but we have 

 never wavered in our decision to record 

 everything, even though double and triple 

 cards were required. 



The value of these entries is very great; 

 but we have, of course, not been able to cite 

 every species in full, nor to state the locality 

 from which it came. Nor were the printed 

 cards giving references to the new species 

 a\ailable for an adequate catalogue of new 

 species; for, in most cases, species from many 

 different genera being described in a single 

 publication these were recorded on a single 

 card. In 1900 certain preliminary experiments 

 were made in view of testing the possibility 

 of placing all novelties on permanent record, 

 so that, for example, a zoologist turning to 

 the genus Carabus in the year 1950 might jSnd 

 before him in convenient form an exhaustive 

 catalogue of every new subgenus, species and 

 of every new name introduced under that 

 genus since 1901. The value of such a record 

 seemed to us quite inestimable and one can 

 well imagine the feverish impatience with 

 which the outcome of our experiments were 

 awaited, for they were to decide whether this 

 gigantic task lay within the possibilities of 

 our organization. The experiments showed 

 that the labor would in truth be immense. 

 We also had to face the stubborn fact that 

 we were working for posterity and that the 

 full value of the work would not be appre- 

 ciated for many years. We also knew that 

 the entire work would be a complete financial 

 loss. In view of all these facts it was, indeed, 

 a bold decision which we took on January 1, 

 1901, when we began " recording each novelty 

 on a special card. The work is now progress- 

 ing well, and if the Concilium be adequately 

 supported, will never be abandoned. 



The collection of references to such a genus 

 as Carabus will not be the only facility which 

 the Concilium will offer to the student coming 

 to it in 1950. If a person is then desirous 

 of studying the fauna of Bolivia, my successor 

 in office will first show him the main printed 

 bibliography, comprising at that date some 200 

 to 300 entries; he will then lead the visitor 

 to a great cabinet of 72 drawers devoted to 

 the new species described from South Amer- 



