NOTES xVND LITERATUBE 



DEAN AND EASTMAN'S BIBLIOGRAPHY OF FISHES 



In order that the production and diffusion of knowledge may 

 but be promoted, knowledge gained must be published in some 

 permanent form. But when the publications become numerous 

 and scattered throughout many journals, and in various lan- 

 guages, it becomes at length difficult, or even impossible, for any 

 human being to retain in mind all that others have discovered 

 and written. The literature must be organized in such a way 

 that the seeker after knowledge and the producer of knowledge 

 may be enabled to determine easily what has been published on 

 any particular subject. Hence the need for bibliographies and 

 bibliographies of bibliograi)hies, for the Zoological Kecord, and 

 the International Catalogue of Scieiire. Ileiice the justification, 

 the necessity, for Dean and Easiniairs l^il)!i()OTiiphy of Fishes. 

 Dean tells us in the preface that in this work tliere are listed 

 more than 40,000 titles. How snuill a nunil)c>r of Tlirse could any 

 man command were it nor t'oi- sonit> such colh/ction! 



One volume only of llic woi-k h;is yet iii)pc;irc(l. This is ;i liook 

 of 718 octavo pages of small pi'iuT: ;nul this is occuplcil simply 

 bv the authors' title, of i.npcr. ali-iiahd ir;,lly arranged. And 

 only those ;mt]iors haxc h.vii ivarhcl ulio.c nan.r. lu-gin with 



the others. The time, the patieiu-e and the lahor which the ac- 



of the preface; it can (^nly he reali/e,l i,y >,iie whn has trie.l his 

 hand at something: of the kind liimseir. 



As the work will tlien stand, th- -'u^h Mt uf ii>>h.-s can deter- 

 mine readily all the paF)ers that an> auilmr. a. Ai^a^si/ Baird 

 for example, has written: ..r he mn t^lan.'c u^..^ all ihe 4i).000 

 titles and pick out those which ^vm r-. liaxe a l.e;ir n-- n,, his 

 subject. To obviate the latter n.'r,.x.ity. ,i thin! volume is to 

 follow which is to he an in. lex to the pivce.lni-- volumes. In the 

 two volumes ot' aulliors' tith s eaeli pM])ei' is I'ol lowed hy the year 



