EARtY DAYS OP THB SOCIETY. ll 



Of these twelve only three are now alive — Mr. Thomas Gray, 

 my brother, and myself.* 



About a year before the formation of the Natural History 

 Society, another association of naturalists resident in the West 

 of Scotland, and chiefly connected with the Philosophical Society 

 of Glasgow, was formed for the elucidation of the natural 

 history and geology of Clydesdale. The district they selected 

 as the scene of their labours was briefly defined as " The Clyde 

 and its Tributaries." The geological section were to terminate 

 their labours at Toward Point on the one side and Inverkip on 

 the other. The entomologists were to include Arran in their 

 field, whilst the marine department was to extend as far as 

 Ailsa Craig. The botanists were even then pretty well on with 

 their work, the information already acquired only needing to 

 be in some instances verified and the whole arranged. In the 

 observing and collecting of insects considerable progress had 

 been made. Interesting discoveries rewarded the labours of 

 the geological section. They found it indispensable to employ 

 an agent to collect fossils, and they had to acquire and even 

 prepare maps and sections. They were able to avail them- 

 selves so far of the collections of fossils which had been pre- 

 viously made, such as that belonging to the committee of the 

 local museum which was collected when the British Association 

 met in Glasgow in 1840. It was hoped that these collections, 

 with those to be made by the new association, would one day 

 form the nucleus of a local geological museum worthy of Glasgow. 

 Whether this has now been accomplished I cannot say. 



The sections and their secretaries, so far as formed, were — 



A. I. — Geology, - - - W. Ferguson. 



B. II.— Botany, . - - W. Gourlie. 



C. III.— Zoology, - - - R. Gray. 



D. IV.— Articulata, - - R. Gray. 



E. V. — Insecta and Arachnida, R. Hislop. 



F. VI.— Mollusca, - - - T. Gray. 



G. VII. —Ichthyology, - - R. Gray. 



H. VIII. — Ornithology, - - John Mactier. 



* While this paper is ia the press for publication, news has come of 

 the lamented death of Dr. Ferguson. 



