PROCEEDINGS—PERTHSHIRE SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCE. xlv 
is a reluctance to expend energy in completing the collections, and, 
except for the acquisition of a rarity now and then, the work of 
forming the Museum is in most departments at a standstill. If the 
members fish it to be so, we have nothing to say, but believing that 
at solve time, however distant, the extension will be carried out, 
I -ffc r, as I offered before, a few suggestions as to the plan on which 
-U snould be done. 
You will, perhaps, remember that the former scheme consisted of 
a larger building on the vacant site which we possess at the back of 
the present one. The details of that I need not repeat, since almost 
the only modification which I have to propose is the conversion of 
the hall on the ground floor into a lecture-room, and the utilisation 
of this, our present lecture-room, for the index collection. 
This alteration in the plans has been suggested to me by the 
great success which has attended the courses of lectures conducted 
by the Perth University Education Society. That Association, while 
of course independent of ours in the sense that it is a separate 
Society, is at the same time so intimately connected in many ways 
—with objects, in part at least, of a similar character, and its leading 
members energetic members of our Society—that if we can help it we 
may in a measure be said to be helping ourselves. Now, whilst on 
most occasions our lecture-room has been sufficient for our needs, 
yet for several of the courses of lectures of the other Society it has 
been deficient, both in accommodation and ventilation. A new 
lecture-room, with raised seats and desks, should therefore be included 
in any scheme for the enlargement of our premises, and, by enlisting 
the interest of the University Society in our plan of extension, we 
would, I expect, not lose anything. One word as to the expense. 
When I spoke on the subject before I mentioned ^850 as the 
probable amount necessary for putting up, but not furnishing, the 
building. Putting aside the question of cases for after consideration, 
we might, in the meantime, restrict our aspirations to the building 
only, with the equipment of the lecture-room, and a sum of ^1000 
would be more than ample to meet the expense of this. But, as 
I have already said, I am concerned at present merely to point out 
what is necessary, and can offer no suggestions as to the means of 
raising the money, more especially as the present income of our 
Society is scarcely sufficient to meet the current expenses. 
As you may have seen from the newspapers, there has been a 
suggestion made recently for a course of lectures on botany, under 
the auspices of the already mentioned University Education Society, 
and no doubt many of our members will take advantage of this course 
if it comes off. The possibility of such being the case has reminded 
me of a scheme, which was suggested some years ago, for the 
establishment in Perth of a botanic garden on a miniature scale. 
The originator of the idea was Professor Geddes. I remember that 
he and I, several years ago, made a perambulation of the town and its 
vicinity looking for a suitable site. At that time the scheme advanced 
no further, but it has not been lost sight of, and a few words on the 
subject may not be out of place. 
The leading features of the scheme is the laying out and planting 
