PROCEEDINGS—PERTHSHIRE SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCE. XXVII 
Treasurer —John Stewart. 
'Curator —Colonel H. M. Drummond Hay, C.M.Z.S. 
Libraria?i —-James Coates. 
Editor —Henry Coates, F.R.P.S. 
Councillors —R. H. Meldrum, John Thomas, and J. Clacher. 
The President delivered the following Address :— 
Gentlemen,— On this, the Twenty-first Annual Meeting of the 
Society—the day on which it may be said to come of age,—it will be 
profitable to devote a few minutes to a retrospect of the past history 
of the Society, and to the consideration of its present position. 
The Society was founded on the 28th of February, 1867. On 
that day a meeting was held in a back room in Charlotte Street, 
>to “institute a Society for the practical study of Natural History in 
Perth, by the exhibition and preservation of specimens, the reading 
of communications, by lectures, excursions, and the formation of 
a library and museum.” To what extent this programme has been 
■carried out we shall presently consider. First of all, however, a word 
or two concerning the founders of the Society. As founders, or 
‘“original members,” the names of fourteen gentlemen are given in 
the minute-book. Of these five only appear now in the roll of the 
Society. Some are still alive, but have severed their connection, and 
:six have joined the majority. As no obituary notices of the latter 
have, I think, been given, it will be but fitting on this occasion to 
briefly allude to them. I take them in the order in which they 
■appear in our list. George Stewart, whose name is third on the roll, 
was a member of the first Council, but died within a few years of the 
formation of the Society. While interested in scientific matters, he 
was not, I think, a working naturalist himself, but always ready to 
assist in promoting the objects of the Society. The next name is 
that of John Bruce, who was with us till last year. He was Treasurer 
from the foundation up to 1869, and was at one time, though not, 
I think, so much latterly, an active and enthusiastic entomologist. 
-Some specimens presented by him are in our collection of insects. 
Hugh Thomson, who died a few years ago, was not a naturalist him- 
■self, but took an active interest in the Society for many years. Daniel 
Brown was a birdstuffer in Perth, and hence was necessarily con¬ 
nected with the objects of the Society; but I am not aware that 
during the time he resided in Perth that he was able to do very 
much for us. John Drummond, who died at an early period of the 
Society’s history, was not, I think, a naturalist himself. James 
Trotter, whose name concludes the list, was one of the first Vice- 
Presidents. He was one of the older generation of Perth naturalists, 
and was very enthusiastic, especially in entomology, at a time when 
there was not so much encouragement for these studies as there is 
•at the present day. He removed to Edinburgh several years ago, 
and died there. 
Having paid this brief tribute to our predecessors, let us now 
-continue the history of the Society. 
At first the Society had no home of its own, but met in the 
