lxx PROCEEDINGS-PERTHSHIRE SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCE. 
mont, Kinnoull; Robert Wallace, Q.C., M.P., London: Miss C. 
Thomas, Barossa Place; Miss MacNab, 12 Pitcullen Crescent; Miss 
Gall, 8 Glover Street; Miss Cameron, Victoria Street; A. Nicol, 
Beech Villa, Kinnoull; Thomas Moffat, Teacher, Forgandenny; 
Wm. Simpson, Balhousie Works; Edward Smart, Sharp’s Institution ; 
Alex. Miller, Croft Bank, Craigie; Wm. White, 29 Kirkgate; George 
Muirhead, 5 North Port; Rev. John Alexander, M.A., Pitcairn 
Manse; Mrs. Gibb, Woodend House, Almondbank; J. Clement C. 
Buchanan White, Annat Lodge; Mrs. Cox, Westwood; and Miss 
Ritchie, Moncreiffe Terrace, were elected Ordinary Members. 
Sir William Henry Flower, K.C.B., F.R.S., LL.D., etc., Director 
of the Natural History Department of the British Museum, was 
elected an Honorary Member. 
The President being unable to be present, Mr. James Coates 
read on his behalf the following Opening Address :— 
Ladies and Gentlemen, —It has now become the custom for 
your President at the beginning of the Winter Session to say a few 
words regarding the work of the preceding summer. Following this 
custom, therefore, I shall now review, very briefly, our progress since 
our closing meeting last spring. 
Of the eight official excursions organised by the Council, all were 
successfully held with the exception of the one to Pitlochry and 
Banks of Tummel, which had to be postponed on account of the 
General Election. In spite of the considerable amount of wet 
weather which has been experienced during the season, it fortunately 
happened that all the days fixed for excursions, with one exception, 
turned out fine. Owing partly to this cause, and partly also to the 
diversity of the ground chosen, the attendances were remarkably 
good, and certainly above the average of former years. Two other 
causes also, no doubt, contributed to this satisfactory result—namely, 
the fact that a separate “Leader” was appointed for each excursion, 
and that some of the excursions were held jointly with other Societies. 
I know that there are some of our members who think that largely- 
attended excursions are not desirable for purposes of scientific 
research, and there is, no doubt, a certain amount of truth in this. 
At the same time, however, it is well to bear in mind that one of the 
functions of our Society is to make the interest in Natural History 
pursuits as widespread as possible, and also that any deficiencies of 
the kind referred to can easily be made up by subsequent visits to 
the ground for more detailed investigation. Even a general survey 
of a considerable stretch of country is not without its lessons for the 
naturalist, and especially for the geologist. As most of the leaders 
have sent me notes regarding the several excursions, I shall have 
something more to say regarding these presently. 
The editorial and publishing department of the Society has 
certainly not been idle lately, as no less than three Parts of the 
Proceedings and Transactions have been issued during the last six 
months. While I am on this subject, I may take the opportunity of 
warning our Treasurer that such unwonted activity will have the 
