Cvi PROCEEDINGS—PERTHSHIRE SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCE. 
which any nation , city , or province has attained is best shown by the 
character of its public museums , and the liberality with which they are 
maintained .” When our own city has this test applied to her, I feel 
confident that she will not be found wanting. 
The number of visitors who have inspected the Museum since it 
was opened, and the interest they have shown in the exhibits, have 
been extremely gratifying. Particularly has this been the case on 
holidays and on Wednesday evenings, which are the only occasions 
when the bulk of the working classes are at leisure to pay it a visit. 
On these occasions many thousands have passed through the build¬ 
ing, either singly or in family groups. It is interesting to notice how 
different visitors are attracted by different objects. To nearly all, 
the birds’ nests, mounted with such marvellous skill by the late Col. 
Drummond Hay, are a chief source of attraction, but many seem to 
be drawn to what might appear to be less popular subjects, such as 
the fishes, plants, rocks, etc. Strangely enough, the skeletons seem 
to have a special fascination for the children, and this I noticed to 
be the case in London also, with the difference that there they are 
known as “ skillintons.” Possibly the same curiosity which misses 
no opportunity of seeing the “ wheels go round ” prompts the child 
to investigate the marvellous framework on which our garment of 
flesh is hung. Altogether, the experience of the last few months has 
abundantly proved what I have frequently urged, namely, that our 
Museum is intended not merely as a place of reference for a few 
initiated students, but as a place of interest, of instruction, and of 
innocent recreation for the whole community. Nature herself dis¬ 
plays her beauties and her wonders with lavish hand, and why should 
we, who profess to be her humble exponents, be more niggardly in 
our aims ? It is for this reason that we have steadfastly set our faces 
against making any charge for admission to the Museum, although 
a considerable revenue could have been derived had we done so. 
With regard to our Ordinary Meetings, it is a matter of satisfac¬ 
tion that the interest in these has been so well maintained. On one 
or two occasions, indeed, the attendance has been almost embarrass¬ 
ingly large. Complaint has been made that the amount of material 
provided for some of the meetings was excessive. This probably is 
the case, but at the same time it is very difficult for the Council in 
drawing up the Syllabus to know how long each paper will occupy. 
The difficulty might be obviated to a certain extent by adopting 
a suggestion which has been made by a member, namely, that the 
meetings should commence at a quarter before eight o’clock, so that 
the preliminary business might be finished by eight o’clock, when 
the reading of papers would begin. This would allow of more time 
for discussion than is possible at present. 
The Photographic Section, which was revived last summer through 
the energy of the Secretary, Col. Campbell, has had a most successful 
session. Now that Photography is becoming more and more linked 
with the exact physical sciences, it is of the more importance for us 
as a scientific society to keep in touch with its most recent develop¬ 
ments. 
I will only touch on one other feature of our work during the 
