THE NIDIOLOGIST 



171 



[Publications for review should be sent to Dk. R. W. Siiufeldt, 

 Associate in Zoology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C] 



Oi-nis. Internat. Zeits. fur die gesammte OrnithoL, etc. 

 Herausgegeben von Professor Dr. R. Blasius. VIII 

 Jahrgang. Heft I und II, Braunschweig, 1895. 

 (Pr., 8 marks, $2.) Pp. 1-211. [From Doctor Blasius.] 



This part, just issued, contains a paper by Rittmeis- 

 ter Freiherr von Besserer {Oniis der Umgehitng von 

 Dienze in Lothringen. Pp. 1-32), and two others by 

 Professor Dr. R. Blasius, and of these last the one 

 that has interested us the most is devoted to the 

 Ornithology of the Maltese group of islands of the 

 Mediterranean Sea {Ornis zwn Malta und Gozo und 

 den umliegenden Inseln. Pp. 139-211). In a brief 

 introduction Dr. Blasius gives us the chief physical 

 and topographical characters of Malta, Gozo, Comino, 

 Cominotto, and Filfia, the islands and islets compos- 

 ing the group. The climate is also touched upon, and 

 something is said of the languages spoken. In re- 

 ferring to the literature of the subject and work accom- 

 plished by previous writers in Maltesian Ornithology, 

 Dr. Blasius makes special mention of the catalogue of 

 Schembri (Catalogs Ornitologico del gruppo d: Alalia, 

 Malta, 1843) ; also of Charles A. Wright's papers in 

 The Ibis (1S64-1S70) ; and, finally, of Giglioli's Avi- 

 fauna Itaiica, now so well known to American Ornith- 

 ologists. 



The species are next taken up in detail, and in con- 

 clusion we are told, inasmuch as the avifauna of 

 Malta will represent that of the group, there are but 

 twelve (12) resident species ; seven (7) summer species 

 and forty-four (44) winter ones ; of regular migrants 

 there are one hundred and seven (107), " including two 

 varieties;" there are thirteen (13) migrants that are 

 not regular, and these are to be distinguished from 

 thirty-seven (37) non-regular stragglers (" including 

 one variety ") and sixty-two (62) species purely strag- 

 glers (" including two varieties "). This makes a total 

 of two hundred and eighty-two (282) species (" includ- 

 ing five varieties ") that have been known to have been 

 taken at one time or another upon the islands of this 

 group. To these may be added eleven (11) stragglers 

 (to which some doubt is attached to the data), and we 

 have the grand total brought up to 293 species. This 

 number of species is compared with the species known 

 to occur upon other islands of the Mediterranean, and 

 for this purpose Dr. Blasius uses the data obtained by 

 Giglioli, whose labors in thisdirection have made them- 

 selves felt over the entire extent of southern Europe 

 and the adjacent countries. 



The Naturalists' Directory, containing the names, 

 addresses, special departments of study, etc., of pro- 

 fessional and amateur naturalists, chemists, physicists, 

 astronomiers, etc., etc., of the United States and Can- 

 ada. Compiled by Samuel E. Cassino, 1895. Boston, 

 S. E. Cassino, Publisher, 1895. Pp. i-viii, 1-382. 

 Paper, i2mo; price $2. 



This work, having passed through many editions, is 

 too well known to working scientific men to require 

 any detailed description here. We are told in the 

 "Notice," however (p. iii), that "the present edition 

 makes a new departure, as, in addition to the usual 

 alphabetical arrangement, all the names have been 

 given arranged geographically by States and by sub- 



jects." A brief though sufficient " Index " and a com- 

 plete list of " Abbreviations " are also given. 



In the part devoted to the Directory proper (pp. i- 

 217) we find the addresses of 5,747 persons residing 

 either in this country or in Canada who are interested 

 in science. Many of these are professionals, and 

 many are interested in a variety of scientific pursuits. 

 Some of these latter are very broadly given, while 

 others are specialized to the last degree. For exam- 

 ple, one gentleman announces that he is interested, 

 among other things, in "sky colors," while another 

 gentleman proclaims his department to be " general 

 biology," as well as numerous other sciences. 



Now these facts would not affect the part of the 

 work devoted to '"Geographical Arrangement," for 

 this is simply a redistribution, presumably, of all the 

 names into states, provinces, and other political divi- 

 sions, with the cities and towns, etc., in each arranged 

 alphabetically in either case (pp. 218-302); but in the 

 "Subject Arrangement" it would be widely different. 

 Here in this latter instance the attempt has been 

 made to classify all the names according to subject, 

 as, for example, "Anatomy," "Anthropology," "Archae- 

 ology," and so on. The idea is an excellent one, but 

 here the object to be attained is by no means accom- 

 plished, for in the first place the naming of the vari- 

 ous departments of science is very misleading, and in 

 the second place the classification of the names of the 

 scientists according to those departments is very fre- 

 quently at variance with the facts in the case. To 

 have had this division of the work be of any statistical 

 value or use the main departments of science should 

 have been definitely given, and then the name of any 

 particular scientist should have appeared but once, 

 and then only in the department in which his chief 

 work has been done. For example, we have "' Anat- 

 omy," " Morphology," " Myology," and '.' Osteology" 

 all given equal rank in this "Subject Arrangement," 

 with perhaps the name of the same individual occur- 

 ring in three of them out of the four. If a person is an 

 anatomist, a myologist, and an osteologist, he is 

 doubtless a morphologist, and should have his or her 

 name appear in that department only. In a great 

 many instances I find the names of individuals in de- 

 partments to which they have given no special atten- 

 tion, and not recorded in the one in which they have 

 made an international reputation. To rectify this in 

 future editions scientists should be asked to under- 

 score the one department in which they are desirous 

 of having their names appear in the " Subject Arrange- 

 ment." This can be done on the printed slips always 

 sent out by the compiler of Tlie Natui-alists' Direc- 

 tory for revision. 



The numerous and important uses to which a 

 properly compiled geographical and subject arrange- 

 ment of the scientists of America can be put are too 

 obvious to require comment. Many will be disap- 

 pointed that this edition of the Directory does not in- 

 clude the foreign addresses, whicli I am under the im- 

 pression were promised. 



In conclusion it may be said that doubtless there 

 are a great many more than 5,747 persons interested 

 in science in the United States and Canada, for that 

 would be a very poor showing for a population of sev- 

 enty millions of people, more or less. Unfortunately, 

 so far as the United States is concerned, she has striven 

 for years to improve in the matter of the quantity of 

 her inhabitants, and not in their quality. It has been 

 for millions of ignorant blacks and the refuse of 

 Europe — good enough for crime, votes, and simple 

 numerical superiority, but very, very poor for refine- 

 ment, culture, progress, virtue, and all that makes a 

 nation truly great. 



