Ixxxii PROCEEDINGS—PERTHSHIRE SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCE. 
The Children’s Essay Competition for the prizes offered by the 
President has again been very successful, 81 Essays having been sent 
in as compared with 70 for the previous year. The competitors, 
who came from many parts of Perthshire, as well as from the city, 
showed great interest in the subject, which was “ The Legs, Feet, 
and Bills of Birds,” and paid frequent visits to the Museum to study 
the Bird Collections. The competition is to be continued during 
the present season, the subject fixed on being “The Trees of 
Perthshire.” 
The Council again have to regret the loss of some very active and 
valued Members. Col. Campbell, who has always been an enthusiastic 
member, and who has done good work for the Society, has had to 
leave Perth; and though he retains his membership, we shall all 
miss his genial presence at our meetings. We are also about to lose 
Mr. T. M. M‘Gregor, a very old and valued member, who is leaving 
for the Antipodes ; but your Council intend still to keep his name 
connected with the Society by appointing him a Corresponding 
Member. Death, too, has robbed us of a young and very able 
member in the person of Mr. Robert Smith, B.Sc. Though Mr. 
Smith was a member for 5 years, yet, owing to his residence in 
Dundee, we had not seen much of him except when he came to give 
a paper. Recently, however, circumstances had brought him more 
amongst us; and just when we had come to appreciate his worth, 
and esteem him for his gentle and kindly nature, he was suddenly 
taken away. We all deplore his loss. 
The use of the Lecture Room has again been granted to various 
local Societies. 
The number of Visitors to the Museum during the year has been 
over 19,000. 
REPORT OF TREASURER. 
(See Balance-Sheet, page ci.) 
REPORT OF TREASURER OF MUSEUM FUND. 
(See Balance-Sheet , page cii.) 
REPORT OF CURATOR. 
Perthshire Museum. —Several additions of importance have been 
made to the exhibition cases in this department since my last report. 
The Green Cormorant or Shag, Phalacrocorax graculus , Lin., pre¬ 
sented to us, is a handsome male bird. It is the first representative of 
this species we have received, and is therefore a valuable addition to 
the local collection. A number of perching birds were presented to us, 
and these, after they were returned from the taxidermists, I mounted 
on natural twigs and stands. The result, I think, warrants the 
continuance of this method. 
Another rare bird, the Green-backed Gallinule, Porphyrio smarag- 
donotus , Lin., has also been recently presented to the Society. It was 
taken on the Tay, near Errol, on October 10, 1880, the capture 
being recorded at the time in the Perthshire Constitutional. The 
