140 Canadian Record of Science. 



such a work was beyond the resources of the Society or of 

 any single body. These considerations gave rise to the 

 idea of international co-operation which, first suggested 

 in 1893, was given a practical bearing through a confer- 

 ence held in London in 1896, at which there were present 

 delegates from twenty-one countries, including Canada. 

 The important work of this first conference was extended 

 and brought to completion by successive conferences, 

 until at the first meeting of the International Council 

 held in London in December, 1900, it was decided to 

 commence the preparation of the Catalogue from January, 

 1901. The plan as finally matured, contemplated the 

 formation of Regional Bureaus for each country repre- 

 sented, the duty of such a bureau being to assume 

 responsibility for the cataloguing of all scientific literature 

 within its region, and to arrange for the distribution 

 of catalogues. At present twenty-nine such regional 

 bureaus have been formed under the directorship of 

 H. Forster Morley, M. A., D.Sc., London, while the Director 

 of the Regional Bureau for Canada, is Dr. J. G. Ad ami, 

 McGill University, Montreal. 



A very large amount of labor was expended in arrang- 

 ing and determining the subject headings of the catalogue, 

 with the result of an efficient completeness which is most 

 gratifying. The branches of science represented are 

 Mathematics, Mechanics, Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy, 

 Meteorology (including terrestrial magnetism), Mineralogy 

 including Petrology and Crystallography), Geology, 

 Geography (Mathematical and Physical), Palaeontology, 

 General Biology, Botany, Zoology, Human Anatomy, 

 Physical Anthropology, Physiology (including experi- 

 mental Psychology), Pharmacology and experimental 

 Pathology and Bacteriology. Each complete annual issue 

 therefore comprises seventeen volumes. In order to meet 

 any preference the scientific workers may have for a 

 particular language, and also to remove any donbt which 

 may attach to the meaning of a word, or expression, the 



