REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 41 



design of forming as perfect a collection as possible of transactions, 

 but will also render the library more generally useful to the cultiva- 

 tors of science in the United States. But the most important means 

 of facilitating the use of a special library of this class of works will 

 be that of the publication of the classified index of all the physical 

 papers contained in the transactions, now in progress at the expense 

 and under the direction of the Royal Society of London. This 

 index is confined to papers relating to astronomy, mathematics, and 

 general physics, and even with this restriction will include about 

 250,000 titles. 



Professor J. Victor Carus, of Leipsic, informs us that during the 

 last two years he has been collecting materials towards a general 

 catalogue of zoological literature, from 1750 up to the present day, 

 including not only all the separately published works, books, and 

 pamphlets, but also and especially all the papers, notices, and articles 

 contained in periodicals, the number of which is increasing every 

 year. The titles and references will be arranged systematically, not 

 according to the alphabet of authors, but within the classes and 

 groups according to the alphabet of the genera, so that at a glance 

 the whole literature of a particular genus may be found. The 

 author calls for aid in obtaining information as to American zoological 

 papers contained in periodicals difficult of access, and any one who 

 can assist in this desirable object would confer a favor by forwarding 

 to him, through the Institution, information bearing on this subject. 



To assist in the same general plan of facilitating the acquisition of a 

 knowledge of what has been done in different branches of science, 

 the Institution has authorized the preparation of a bibliography of 

 American botany, by Mr. Thurber, of New York, under the direction 

 of Dr. Torrey. 



Since the date of the last Report, the act amendatory of the law 

 relating to the disposition of books intended for copyright has gone 

 into operation. This act merely requires that one copy of every 

 article intended to be secured to the author by copyright is to be 

 deposited with the clerk of the district court from whom the certifi- 

 cate is obtained, and repeals the requirement that a copy should be 

 presented to the library of Congress and to that of the Smithsonian 

 Institution. All the books which have heretofore been deposited 

 with the district clerks, and those which may be obtained in future, 

 are to be arranged in the Patent Office, where they will form an 



