" THE FUTURE TAXONOMIC BANK " 
L. A. Proctor 
Computer Center 
Texas Technological College 
Lubbock, Texas 
Taxonomic revisions in the future will not be 
isolated efforts in time and discrete units of pu¬ 
blication as they are today. Rether the informa - 
tion on a particular taxon (whether a sub-order of 
mites or a class of algae) will be in a state of 
continuous revision at some particular computer cen 
ter. Individuals working within the taxon will 
relay information (possibly via individual console* 
units) to the "bank" and groups of taxonomists will 
neet for yearly or semi-yearly evaluations of pro¬ 
gress attained and difficulties encountered, spec! 
fic points of contention to be investigated, etc* 
During such sessions, distribution maps based on, 
collection data or experimental results (i.e* cro 
ssing, genetic studies, measurements, etc.) will 
be called for and immediately displayed. Basic 
information on units of particular interest may be 
retrieved from disk-type storage units through use 
of a code typed on a console or with a tap from a, 
light pen. Additional information, as required, 
may also be requested and retrieved. 
It should be empliasized that the unit in 
question would be both a storehouse of information 
and an experimental tool storing data of value to 
the particular investigators and allowing compari¬ 
sons and correlations now only obtained with diffi 
culty or not at all. . 
Computer usage has now reached a level of 
sophistication where we can begin in reality to 
erect such a unit. The present paper will first 
delineate types of information to be stored and*.: 
assign priorities to this information: i.e. what 
is the minimum information capability required 
for a valuable prototype or "level one" system , ^ 
and by what steps would one advance to the "level : 
five" complete taxonomic unit. Second, it will 
describe appropriate computing system specifications, 
their costs and state of development for minimal 
and optimal information levels. 
23. 
"THE BRITISH BIOLOGICAL RECORDING NETWORK** 
F. Perring. 
Nature Conservancy Huntingdon, England 
24. "AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING IN THE STUDY OF 
SEABIRD DISTRIBUTION" 
v • 
W. B. King 
Smithsunian Institution 
Washington, D.C. 
2 5. "A RETRIEVAL SYSTEM FOR ZOOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS" 
R. G. Van Gelder. 
The American Museum of Natural History 
New York, New York. 
A non-electronic data retrieval system for 
scientific study specimens of mammals has been 
developed and is in operation at The American 
Museum of Natural History. The system utilizes 
the optical coincidence of holes drilled in 
cards and is an inverted system- each card re¬ 
presents a characteristic, each hole represents 
the catalogue number of a specimen having that 
characteristic. The data stored in the system 
include identity of the specimen to species, 
geographyc region of collection, the sex, the 
month of collection, and the type of prepara — 
tion (skin, skull, skeleton, in spirit, etc.). 
Any combination of these characteristics can be 
retrieved, with searches being made at a rate 
of about 10,000 specimens per minute. The sys 
tern retrieves the catalogue numbers of the 
specimens having the characteristics sought. 
Input of information, including coding of taxo 
nomy and geography, is at a rate of about 1.5~~ 
specimens per minute , or 10,000 per work month 
using non-scientist help. The costs of mate - 
rials and machinery are considerably less than 
for electronic data retrieval. 
