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THE AMERICAN NATURALIST [Vol. XLI 



inch cards are too large and unwieldy. The 4X6 inch card, 

 however, is of sufficient size to contain all necessary data, without 

 being cumbersome in manipulation. 



Card cabinets to contain the catalogues may be obtained in 

 various sizes, but by the adoption of the * unit ' card index section 

 containing six drawers adopted for the 4X6 in. card, future 

 units may be added as occasion demands, and the cabinet is thus 

 always complete. 



Following a chronological order, the data which should be 

 rendered accessible in an adequately catalogued collection, can be 

 separated into three divisions. These are: (A) The Accession 

 Catalogue, containing a general record of all material received 

 by the museum. (B) The Department Catalogue, giving a com- 

 plete history of each specimen or group of specimens, (a single 

 species, acquired by each department. (C) The Reference Cata- 

 logue, having the names of all specimens belonging to each depart- 

 ment, arranged alphabetically so that the final disposition of any 

 desired specimen can at once be ascertained. 



Of these, the Accession and Department catalogues are essen- 

 tial from a business as well as a scientific standpoint, while the 

 Reference catalogue, altliouuli not a necessary requisite, will be 

 found advantageous as a rt t'crcncc index to the specimens, particu- 

 larly in the larger mnscnnis. \\ iili tii<' exception of the one per- 

 taining to accessions, which should l)e in charge of the director of 

 the museum, each catalogue should be controlled by the head of 

 the particular department with which it deals. 



While the records considered necessary vary more or less in 



cerned, they can in general l)e redticed to the following tabular 

 form, covering the data which may l)e required in ]Museiuns of 

 Natural History. 



A. Accession Catalogue (arranged numerically). 



1. Accession number. 



2. Date received. 



3. Description. 



4. How obtained. 



a. Purchase (cost ). 



b. Gift. 



c. Exchange. 



