PROCEEDINGS—PERTHSHIRE SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCE. lvii 
species represented in a large collection of Bird Skins from Ecuador, 
South America, lately presented to the Society by Mr. Archer 
Harman. 
Mr. W. S. Bruce, of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, 
gave an account of a proposed Scottish National Expedition to the 
Antarctic Regions, and thanked the Society for consenting to give 
their aid in carrying out the proposal. 
The following paper was read :— 
“A Contribution to the List of Perthshire Spiders.” By W. 
Evans, F.R.S.E., M.B.O.U., Edinburgh. (See Trans., Vol. III., 
Part II., page 88.) 
The President delivered the following Address :— 
Ladies and Gentlemen,— During the past year, death has been 
busy amongst the Members of our Society. Even since last Meeting 
another of the links which connect us with the past has been broken 
by the death of Dr. Buist, who passed away on the 17th of last month. 
Dr. Buist was one of the fourteen gentlemen who met in King James 
the Sixth’s Golf Club, in Charlotte Street, on 28th February, 1867, to 
inaugurate this Society—“For the Practical Study of Natural Science 
in Perth.” Five years ago, when I prepared the Memoir of the late 
Dr. Buchanan White and of his early connection with our Society, 
four out of these fourteen founders were still with us. Now, only 
one survives. During recent years, Dr. Buist did not take an active 
part in the work of the Society, but the earlier records show that at 
one time he took a considerable interest in Natural History, and 
especially in ornithology, and on more than one occasion he exhibited 
specimens of birds and of eggs at the Meetings. 
seasonal note. 
The only seasonal note which I wish to record on the present 
occasion is with reference to the effects of the blizzard which occurred 
on Thursday, the 15th February. Having occasion to travel up the 
Highland line a few days afterwards, I was struck with the very 
peculiar havoc which had been wrought amongst the trees. Large 
numbers, especially in the Murthly and Dunkeld districts, had their 
tops broken off, just as if a giant hand had passed over the woods 
and snapped the branches across. The oaks and birches seemed to 
have suffered most, and many were broken in two, with the upper 
half still hanging by shreds of white timber. The lower branches 
had hardly suffered at all, and very few trees were entirely uprooted. 
This peculiar result appears to have been produced by a combination 
of circumstances. Before the wind reached its height, snow and 
sleet had been falling heavily, and freezing as it fell, so that the upper 
branches of the trees, besides being bent down by the weight of 
frozen snow, presented a solid surface to the force of the wind. In 
e 
