Epilogue vii 



mc while working for ovvr forty years in thc Britisli Museum (Natural 

 History) aiid tliougli I liave acquired over a tliousand volumcs for 

 thc Librarics there, gaps still rcmain to bc fillcd. On the wholc onc 

 lias met witli a generous rcsponsc, but thc amuscd smilc, real apathy, 

 or the remark "we have no moncy" which invariably means heavicr 

 expenditure latcr on, havc bcen encountcred. In my experience truc 

 economy is only sccurcd by immcdiatc purchase whcn prices are 

 reasonable, and it is falsc economy in money and in timc from cvcry 

 point of vicw to listen for a momcnt to any tinancial argumcnt whcn 

 the purchase of books for scicntific research in a National Institution 

 is involved. And now that rotography has superseded photography 

 as rcgards cost, a rarc tract can be reproduced in a few hours and 

 placcd on its proper shclf in any Library for a few shillings. 



In conclusion I may add that the whole of my papers, Books of 

 Reference and apparatus will remain at the Museum for my con- 

 tinuator and I trust that arrangements will be made for the permanent 

 indexing of eve'n current literature as the only true method of 

 econoraizing the time of the working zoologist. 



C. DAVIES SHEKBORN 



LONDON 

 March, 1932 



