PROCEEDINGS—PERTHSHIRE SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCE. CX1X 
are troublesome at the Dunkeld House gardens, but they have never 
harmed the gardens about the village here (Inver), and it is a new 
thing if they have become troublesome or destructive about Dalguise, 
where there is fruit grown, or Kinnaird House gardens, about all of 
which places squirrels are plentiful. Sycamores, planes and maples 
have been planted plentifully in this neighbourhood, but I never 
heard of their being peeled by squirrels to any great extent, rabbits 
being the great sinners in this respect. Either the squirrels or the 
bullfinches nip the flower buds of the maples, but I cannot say which 
animal does the harm, as I have never caught them in the act. As 
far as I can learn, pines are not damaged by squirrels in this district 
to any great extent. It looks as if the squirrels were getting de¬ 
moralised in some quarters, but is it not a question of the supply of 
their ordinary food being short? Scott, the keeper at Inver Wood, 
told me that last summer he heard a pair of thrushes making alarm 
calls in the wood as if a cat were at hand. He went quietly toward 
them, and saw a squirrel with something in its mouth. Having shot 
the squirrel, he found that it had caught a nestling thrush and was 
in the act of eating it.” 
There was also exhibited a specimen of a very rare dipteron, 
Xiphura atrata , Lin., found by Mr. Wm. Wylie at Scone, and 
identified by Mr. Grimshaw, Edinburgh. Mr. Rodger, in looking 
over the collections of the late Dr. Buchanan White, which are now 
in the Museum, has since found a goodly number of specimens of 
the same insect collected by Dr. White in various localities of Perth¬ 
shire and other counties of Scotland. 
On the motion of the President, it was agreed to record in the 
Minutes the Society’s regret at the death of Mr. Donald MacGregor, 
Battleby, who was an earnest student of Botany, and the Secretary 
was instructed to send a letter of condolence to Mrs. MacGregor. 
The following papers were read :— 
1. “Notes on certain Perthshire Fungi.” By James Menzies. 
The paper was illustrated by a series of lantern slides. (See Trans., 
Vol. III., Part IV., page 175.) 
2. “ The History and Culture of the Grape Vine,” Part II. By 
John Leslie, Pitcullen. (See Trans., Vol. III., Part IV., page 185.) 
13th March, 1902. 
THIRTY-FIFTH ANNUAL MEETING. 
Henry Coates, F.R.S.E., President, in the Chair. 
The following Reports were read and adopted:— 
REPORT OF COUNCIL. 
The Council, in submitting their Thirty-Fifth Annual Report, are 
pleased to be able to again present one of a satisfactory character. 
M 
