316 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. IV. No. 



The subject of scientific classification is a 

 very important one, and it is well to know that 

 it is in as good hands as those of the committee 

 of the London Conference. But while this 

 committee works, others do not need to sleep. 

 The science of classification, and of bibliog- 

 raphy generally, has no representative in this 

 country, neither a society nor a periodical. 

 The Library Journal, ' chiefly devoted to Li- 

 brary Economy and Bibliografy,' is really de- 

 voted exclusively to the former. The few short 

 contributions to bibliography that have appeared 

 there of late have been of small consequence, 

 and perhaps naturally so. The librarians are 

 confronted with many practical questions of 

 administration that urgently need solution, and 

 have little time to devote to mere theoretical 

 questions. But there is certainly not only 

 room, but need, for some center for the study 

 of bibliography proper, and more particularly, 

 classification. It is too late now to make any 

 proposition for forming a section of bibliog- 

 raphy at the Buffalo meeting of the American 

 Association. But, in the meantime, would not 

 the editor of Science consider the establish- 

 ment of a department for bibliography in the 

 columns of this Journal ? If the men who work 

 in this field could have such an intellectual 

 meeting place they might by and by find their 

 way to meet and organize for work. 



Aksel G. S. Josephson. 



The John Ceeeae Libeaey, CnicAao. 



METEOR OR BIRD? 



To THE Editor of Science : In your issue of 

 July 31 (p. 140), quoting from the daily press, 

 it is stated that Mr. William E. Brooks, Direc- 

 tor of Smith Observatory, while observing the 

 moon recently, saw a dark, round object, be- 

 lieved to be a meteor bej^ond the earth's sur- 

 face, pass slowly across the moon's surface in a 

 horizontal direction. Is it not possible that this 

 ' object ' may have been a bird ? 



Few astronomers, in my experience, are 

 aware of the number of nocturnal migrating 

 birds that may be observed under proper condi- 

 tions. If, during the September migration, a 

 comparatively low-power glass is focused on 

 the full moon, at certain elevations, it is prob- 

 able that an almost continuous stream of mi- 



grants will be seen passing through the narrow 

 angle subtended by the moon's limbs. Thus at 

 Tenafly, N". J., on the night of September 3, 

 1887, in the observatory of the late Mr. J. F. 

 Panlison, Mr. John Tatlock, Jr., and myself, 

 using a 6J-inch equatorial, saw no less than 262 

 birds between the hours of eight and eleven. 

 {Auk.,Y., p. 37.) 



Several years later we obtained nearly simi- 

 lar results from the observatory of Columbia 

 University, New York City, where, thanks to 

 the courtesy of Professor Eees, we were permitted 

 to use a glass, the finder of the large telescope 

 proving strong enough for our purpose. 



Previously, observations of this kind had been 

 made at Princeton, IST. J., by Mr. W. E. D. 

 Scott and Prof. C. A. Young, in October, 1880, 

 and April, 1881. On the first named date four 

 and one-half birds were recorded per minute, 

 for a period not stated ; on the latter date thir- 

 teen birds were noted in three-quarters of an 

 hour. (Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, VI., pp. 97, 188.) 



The spring migration of birds begins in this 

 latitude in February, reaches its height early in 

 May, and is concluded by June 10th. The fall 

 migration begins about July 1st, reaches its 

 height in September, and is not concluded until 

 December. It is evident, therefore, that an ob- 

 server of the moon is likely to have birds cross 

 his field of vision at almost any time of the 

 year, though the movement can be studied with 

 greatest profit during the September migration, 

 when the heavens are, doubtless, more thronged 

 with birds than at any other time. 



It happens that we are now on the eve of 

 this great flight of feathered meteors, and as- 

 tronomers who have the time and inclination to 

 focus their glass on the moon this coming 21st 

 of September can render an important service 

 to ornithology. 



In the first place, their observations would 

 throw much light on the question of ' highways 

 of migration. ' It is generally accepted as a fact 

 that birds are guided in their nocturnal journeys 

 by the topography of the land over which they 

 are passing, and that river valleys and coast 

 lines are the most frequented pathways. The 

 results obtained by observers situated within 

 the limits of the same wave of migration would 

 have a direct bearing on this subject. 



