22 History of the Society. 



entomologist; John Shaw, the ichthyologist, and discoverer 

 of the fact that parr are the young of salmon ; Patrick 

 Dudgeon, geologist and astronomer ; James Shaw, long 

 schoolmaster at the Upper School, Tynron, and a diligent 

 enquirer into many subjects; Thomas Aird, the poet, ornitho- 

 logist, and editor for eighteen years of the Dumfries and 

 Galloway Herald; James Starke, the archaeologist and anti- 

 quary; and Professor William Ramsay M'Nab, noted as a 

 botanist and entomologist. All these have passed away, and 

 of those who may be termed the pioneers of our Society who 

 are still fellow-members I only now know of three.* These 

 include our honorary member, Dr David Sharp, the entomo- 

 logist, whose scientific researches have long since gained him 

 the honour of Fellowship of the Royal Society. When in 

 practice at Thornhill he was elected a member of our Society 

 on December 3rd, 1867, and his papers on " Additions to the 

 Catalogue of British Coleoptera _" and " On \'ariations in 

 Insect Life, with especial regard to the theories of Lamarck 

 and Darwin," excited much interest on the occasion of their 

 being read. The other two original members are Sir James 

 Crichton-Browne and Mr William Allan, who are, I am glad 

 to say, both with us to-night. Only on May 5th of this year 

 we lost another member of the earlier Society, James Barbour, 

 who joined us on March 2nd, 1866. His antiquarian 

 researches formed the subject of upwards of twenty papers 

 published in our Transactions. His death robs us of one of 

 our most venerated and active members. 



Sessions 1870-1875. 



L have already referred to the ominous warning uttered 

 by the Secretary, A. D. Murray, at the commencement of the 

 session 1868-1869. The Transactions for that period were 

 not published till 1871, and from internal evidence it is evident 

 that at least one paper was read, or submitted, as late as 

 June, 1870. This is the last evidence from the Transactions 



* Mr William M'llwraith (now of Rockhampton, Queensland; 

 was an original member of the Society in 1862, but ceased to be so 

 on leaving Dumfries in the winter of 1879. 



