PROCEEDINGS—PERTHSHIRE SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCE. li 
with Mr. Rodger’s assistance, will be speedily and satisfactorily 
accomplished. During operations I would strongly urge the necessity 
of having the Museum Hall entirely closed to all but those employed, 
—the Members of Council and Museum Committee,—and I would 
suggest that a barricade be placed across the entrance passage with 
instructions that no one whatever be admitted excepting those above 
mentioned. 
I must mention before leaving this subject that we are also 
indebted to our President for the beautiful drawings, on the walls 
above the cases, of the Geological Sections of the district, not only 
setting them off, but at the same time most instructive. As to the 
Collections generally, everything is in good order. With regard to 
donations, I have to mention first of all the munificent gift from Mrs. 
Buchanan White of her late husband’s valuable collection of Insects; 
from Mr. Sidney Steele of Blackpark, his collection of Eggs, also a 
very valuable acquisition. With regard to the Bird and Nest Depart¬ 
ment, we have received a mounted specimen of the Buzzard from Mr. 
Stuart Gray of Kinfauns; an Eider-Duck in the flesh from Mr. Albert 
Pullar; a Capercailzie Hen in the plumage of the cock, from the Earl 
of Mansfield, through Mr. Atholl Macgregor; also a Pheasant, a cross 
between the Golden and the Common, from the same, to be placed 
in the Index Collection; a Little Auk also from the same. This was 
received in the flesh and mounted by the Hon. Curator. We have also 
received another Little Auk (a mounted specimen) from Mr. Paterson, 
of Craigie; and a third from Col. Campbell. By the Hon. Curator 
the following Birds have been presented, all mounted:—Linnet in 
full summer plumage ; two Starlings in the change from the young 
to the adult (in these specimens the change is very marked, for 
instead of the plumage being in a mottled state, one-half of the bird 
is in that of the adult and the other of the young, a method of change 
peculiar to the Starling); a Cream-coloured Cormorant, an old female, 
shot on the Tay near Seaside; a Grey-Lag Wild Goose, male, and a 
pale-coloured Wild Duck, female, also from the Tay; two Ruddy 
Sheldrakes, male and female, from the same locality; a Common 
Snipe and a Jack Snipe, both males, of which we required specimens; 
a Greenshank and two Slavonian Grebes, also got on the lower Tay. 
We have also the promise from Mr. P. D. Malloch of a Green Sand¬ 
piper, shot on the Earn. 
With regard to the nests and eggs, though many letters were 
written to different parties, I have not met with the response I hoped. 
Through the kindness of Mr. Fotheringham of Murthly, his keeper, 
Mr. Keay, has sent some valuable acquisitions. These are two Sedge 
Warblers’ nests, both with full clutch of eggs, interesting as specimens 
from their variety of construction; the one found among sedge (Carex 
ampalacea), composed of that material, dry grass, and bits of willow- 
down ; the other from a swamp of bog-myrtle and bramble, much 
more elaborately put together, composed of dry grass and moss inter¬ 
woven with a shred or two of wool, lined with very fine grass mixed 
with a feather or two; Willow Wren’s, beautifully and artfully made, 
with full clutch of eggs, found in the middle of one of the Murthly 
grass parks concealed among fine bent grass, strewed over with dead 
