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Show 610 MR. C. DAYIES SHERBORN ON A PROPOSED [June 2, The following papers were read:- 1. Explanation of the Plan adopted for preparing an "Index Generum et Specierum Animalium." By C. DAVIES S H E R B O R N , F.Z.S. [Received June 2, 1896.] The following description of the work of preparing an Index the generic and specific names of animals, both recent and fossil which was commenced by the author in July 1890, has been prepared for the Society, at the request of Sir William Flower Mr. Sclater, aud Dr. Henry Woodward:- The difficulty of finding accurate and reliable lists of the species of any particular genus was pointed out by Darwin years ago, and impressed itself so strongly on that naturalist that he personally endowed the undertaking which we know as the ' Index Kewensis,' recently brought to so successful a conclusion by Benjamin Daydon Jackson. In this book of reference there are some 600,000 generic and specific names of flowering plants. The botanist has now a key to the literature of Phanerogams for 150 years within covers, and all difficulty in keeping pace with present and future descriptions of new phanerogamic plants has been removed. It is quite otherwise with zoological generic and specific names. Agassiz, Marschall, Scudder, and others have partially catalogued the genera ; Waterhouse has listed the genera of birds ; H. G. Bronn, John Morris, and, more recently, K. Etheridge have provided lists. of fossil species. But no one book including references to all names that have been given to fossil and recent animals has yet been attempted. The vastness of the record is appalling, but given time all difficulties disappear. The work now commenced by the German Zoological Society, which was described before this Society at a recent meeting, and known as ' Das Tierreich,' will be familiar to all present; and it has been suggested that a brief account of the ' Index Generum et Specierum Animalium' should be put on record in the same manner. In May 1890 a letter appeared in ' Nature' and in 'La Feuille des Jeunes Naturalistes,' from the author, setting forth a scheme for the compilation of such a work, and inviting suggestions for improved details or other matter. Beyond friends interested at the British Museum, those who offered valuable suggestions were David Sharp, Alfred Newton, Sven Love'n, and Victor Carus. It was therefore obvious that the details were satisfactory to those interested, aud work was commenced on July 1st, 1890. Since that date recording has steadily progressed (circumstances have restricted the time at disposal to an amount equivalent to three years) and a total of 130,000 slips have been stored away in the alphabetical order of genera. Notices of the progress of the work have appeared in 'Nature,' vol. xliv. p. 207 (1891), and 'Natural Science,' vol. iii. p. 379 (1893), and the manuscript has been |
