PROCEEDINGS—PERTHSHIRE SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCE. VII 
sidering the advantages offered—if members choose to avail themselves 
of them—and the necessary yearly outlay, the annual subscription is. 
much too low—unjustifiably low if we consider what we offer in 
comparison with other societies whose subscription is the same or even 
greater. We ought to remember that there has been no material 
increase in the subscription since the time when we did not publish, 
when we had no reading-room, no library to speak of, no laboratory, 
and no museum,—when, in fact, our rooms were open only for 
the monthly meetings. Now we offer to members a comfortable 
reading-room, open on five days of the week, and furnished with 
periodical literature, a reference library of very valuable books, and an 
extensive series of books that are lent out; we offer to them the use 
of a laboratory—heated and lighted when required—furnished with a 
good microscope and all necessary appliances; we have hitherto been 
able to give them a yearly part of Proceedings; and the Museum, 
with all its varied stores, is always at their service, heated and lighted. 
Whether individual members do or do not take advantage of what is 
offered to them has, I submit, nothing to do with the case. The 
expense is the same whether one or one hundred members frequent 
the building. Considering all these things, I am not at all sure 
whether it would not be desirable that steps should be taken to as¬ 
certain if an increase of the subscription is feasible or not. 
In conclusion, there are two matters to which I wish to allude, 
for although they are not properly within the field of the Society’s 
work, yet they are not beyond its serious attention. In the first 
place, I would most earnestly appeal to the ladies, and especially 
to those who honour us by being members of this Society, for 
their sympathy on behalf of the birds of the world. Fashion- 
makers, regardless of the bitter suffering which it must entail, 
have decreed that birds should form an important feature of the 
decoration of dress. If ladies would only take the trouble to think 
for a moment, I am sure that they would set their all-powerful influence 
against this cruel fashion. I might multiply instances where hundreds 
and thousands of one species of bird have been slain to fill the order 
of a single dealer, but I will give one or two cases only. Thirty- 
two thousand humming-birds ! Thirty thousand sea-birds ! Three 
hundred thousand pairs of wings. Just think of these humming-birds 
killed probably in the nesting season, and the nestlings left to die of 
hunger ! As some one has written :— 
“ Think what a price to pay, 
Faces so bright and gay, 
Just for a hat! 
Flowers unvisited, mornings unsung, 
Sea-ranges bare of the wings that o’erswung— 
Bared just for that! 
“ Think of the others, too, 
Others and mothers, too, 
Bright-eyes in hat! 
Hear you no mother-groan floating in air, 
Hear you no little moan—birdlings’ despair— 
Somewhere, for that ? 
