36 
PROCEEDINGS OF THE PERTHSHIRE SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCE. 
to tlie Society, took occasion to allude to the warm interest 
that Mr Pullar had always shown in the welfare of the 
Society. 
The toast was received with all the honours. 
In returning thanks for himself and family, Mr Pullar 
said that it gave him very great pleasure to have such a 
gathering round his table, and he was delighted to see 
amongst them not only members from the immediate 
neighbourhood but from a distance. 
After a few more toasts, the party broke up. 
OPENING OF THE PERTHSHIRE 
NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM BUILDING. 
On Saturday, October 1st, at 3 P.M., the Perthshire 
Natural History Museum building, which has been erected 
in Tay Street by means of the Moncreiffe Memorial 
Museum Pund, was opened in presence of a large assem¬ 
blage of subscribers to the fund, and members of the 
Perthshire Society of Natural Science. The ceremony 
took place in the Working Boys’ and Girls’ Religious 
Society’s Hall,—Dr James Geikie, F.R.S., President of 
the Perthshire Society of Natural Science, in the chair. 
The Chairman (who was accompanied to the platform 
by the Lord-Provost and Magistrates, the officers of the 
Society, and other gentlemen) explained that they had met 
in the Working Boys’ and Girls’ Hall because the lecture- 
room in connection with the Museum could not accommo¬ 
date the large audience which had assembled, and called 
upon Dr Buchanan White, P.L.S., the Honorary Secre¬ 
tary, to read a statement by the Committee of the 
Subscribers, 
Dr Buchanan White accordingly read a history of 
the movement to establish a Perthshire Natural History 
Museum, from its origin up to the present date. He 
said—On the 28th of February, 1867, the want in 
Perth of any Society or Association for carrying on the 
practical study of natural science by “ the exhibition and 
preservation of specimens, the reading of communications, 
by lectures, excursions, and the formation of a library and 
museum,” led a few enthusiastic working naturalists to 
found the Perthshire Society of Natural Science. As may 
be perceived from the words just quoted, which form part 
of the second law enacted by the new Association at this 
meeting, the preservation of specimens and the formation 
of a museum has been from the very beginning a main ob¬ 
ject of the Society, and with this in view one of the officers 
was the curator. 
At first the Society had no premises of its own, 
within which specimens or other property could be 
kept. By the kindness of the Glover Incorporation, 
the ordinary meetings were held in the Glovers’ Hall in 
George Street; but there were no facilities here for acquir¬ 
ing property, and consequently the Council, in its First 
Annual Report (March, 1868) alludes to the fact that the 
Society had been obliged to refuse several offers of speci¬ 
mens, though of opinion that “ had the Society a room of 
sufficient size in which to begin its museum, there would 
be no lack of donations.” 
It was not, however, till October, 1869, when it was 
announced that a room had been secured at Kirkside to 
serve as “ store-room” for the Society’s collection; and in 
the Third Annual Report the members were asked to 
assist “ in getting up a complete museum of the natural 
products of the county, now that there is accommodation 
for them.” 
But these premises were found to be very unsuitable for 
the purpose for which they had been secured, and so in May, 
1870, the Society moved to the rooms in St Ann’s Lane, 
which it continued to occupy up till May last. 
After being established in St Ann’s Lane, the work of 
collecting specimens was proceeded with, and cases to hold 
them were obtained; but as the rooms were small, these 
were not very extensive, and on this account not so much 
was done as perhaps might have been accomplished had 
the facilities been greater. 
In 1872, I retired from the Presidentship of the Society, 
which I had had the honour of holding for five years, and was 
succeeded by Col. Drummond Hay. Under the new Presi¬ 
dent’s rule, the importance of a proper museum was still kept 
prominently before the Society, for we find from the Sixth 
Annual Report of the Council that during the past year 
there had been twenty-four donors to the museum (amongst 
these was Dr W. C. M'lntosh, of Murthly Asylum, a fac t 
which we commend to the notice of the anonymous writer 
of the amusing but not strictly veracious history of the 
Literary and Antiquarian Society which has recently been 
contributed to one of the local papers). 
In 1874 Col. Drummond Hay retired from the President¬ 
ship; and was elected Curator,—Sir Thos. Moncreiffe suc- 
, ceedingto thePresidentialChair. During the followingyear 
no great advance was made in relation to the Museum, with 
; the exception that the average number of donations were re- 
i ceived. 
