1879. ] Scientific News. 597 
Memorial to Elliott Coues, Esquire, Assistant Surgeon 
United States Army. 
We, the undersigned, beg leave to express our high apprecia- 
tion of the “ Bibliographical Appendix” to your work, “ Birds o 
the Colorado Valley,” being No. 11 of the Miscellaneous Publi- 
cations of the United States Geological Survey of the Territories, 
under the charge of Dr. Hayden. And at the same time we wis 
to place on record our gratitude to that gentleman and to the 
authorities of the department to which you are attached, for the 
liberality they have shown in granting you permission to stay at 
Washington for the completion of this and other important works 
upon which you have now been so long and so usefully engaged. 
The want of indexes to the ever increasing mass of zoological 
literature has long been felt by all workers in every department 
of that science; but the enormous labor of compilation has hith- 
erto deterred many from undertaking a task so appalling. It is 
with no small satisfaction that we recognize your readiness to 
devote yourself to work of this nature. Moreover, we feel justi- 
fied in hoping that should the installment now published in the 
volume above named be enlarged in a similar manner so as to 
include a complete bibliography of ornithology, this branch of 
science will possess an index to its writings, perhaps more com- 
plete as to its scope and contents than any kindred subject of 
similar extent. 
n undertaking of this sort is beset with formidable difficul- 
ties; not only is its extent enormous and the works relating to 
the subject are widely scattered through many libraries, public 
and private, but the qualifications of a good bibliographer are not 
easily to be found united in one person. His application and 
industry must be untiring, and he must be thoroughly conversant 
with the art of bibliography. In addition to these requirements, 
in a case like the present, an equally thorough knowledge of the 
subject under consideration is indispensable. You happily com- 
bine all these qualifications; your industry has long been ap- 
proved, your knowledge of books is evident from what you have 
now put before us, your knowledge of ornithology has long been 
known to us. We can well believe that the libraries of your own 
country are better stored than any others with works relating to 
the ornithology of North America, and that, therefore, the “ List 
of Faunal Publications relating to North American Ornithology ” 
could be nowhere better prepared than in Washington; but 
when the ornithological literature of the whole world has to be 
examined, it seems to us almost indispensable that the older 
libraries of Europe, and especially of England, France, Italy, 
rmany and Holland should be consulted if one of the chief 
merits of your work is to be maintained, viz: The consultation at 
first hand by yourself of every work mentioned therein. 
This brings us to one of the chief objects of this memorial, — 
