88 
PROCEEDINGS OE THE PERTHSHIRE SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCE. 
than from the results of his studies, that I am inclined 
to think his work sat so lightly on him, for he had 
a happy and seemingly careless way of getting over 
the dry details in the nomenclature, structure, and charac¬ 
ters of plants,—often playing facetiously on some crack, 
jaw name, or joking on some peculiar feature of the 
construction or popular virtue of a plant; while one 
felt that under all the nonsense he talked, there 
was always a vein of valuable truth. Mr Sadler was 
for many years an important figure in Professor 
Balfour’s botanical excursions with his students. To 
the Professor’s enthusiasm he added the geniality of a 
youthful and boisterous spirit, and the group of students 
which gathered around and followed him, clustering 
together like bees to learn the name and order of some 
rarity that had been picked up, was nearly as conspicuous as 
the group which followed and gathered its information from 
the learned Professor himself. Mr Sadler was very popu¬ 
lar as a lecturer on his favourite science. As a speaker he 
was at first rather rough, and wanting in cultivation, but 
his language and manner greatly improved by practice. 
The chief and most attractive feature of his speaking, 
however, was the simplicity and ease with which he was 
able to communicate bis information, and the familiar and 
happy way in which he made an otherwise dry and un¬ 
inviting subject plain and interesting to a popular audience. 
Mr Sadler’s connection with the Perthshire Society of 
Natural Science dates from about its commencement in 
1867. He became at once an ordinary member, although 
residing at a distance. The desire, so far as I can recol¬ 
lect, of the originators of the Society, was that he might 
he chosen a corresponding member, in the hope of getting, 
through his interest in a Perthshire Society, some assist¬ 
ance in the way of papers, or contributions of articles for 
the herbarium and museum; but instead of that honour, 
he claimed, on account of his close friendship with 
some of the members, and of his being a Perthshire man, 
a right to the privileges of a full ordinary member. 
He was accordingly elected an ordinary member, the 
first on the list after the original members; but he does 
not seem to have done very much work for the Society. 
Subsequently he was elected a corresponding member. In 
the early years of the Society two conversaziones were 
held in the City-Hall, both of which were looked upon at 
the time as great successes; and at both of these Mr 
Sadler attended and took part in the proceedings. Mr 
Sadler did much work for the Edinburgh Botanical 
Society and the Scottish Arboricultural Society, and his 
name will always be remembered by Scottish botanists in 
connection with the plants Salix Sadleri and Carex frigida, 
which he discovered on the Braemar mountains. Mr 
Sadler’s comparatively early death has saddened a large 
circle of friends, and his loss must be of considerable 
importance to the departments under which he held his 
official appointments, and where his ability appears to 
have been highly valued. 
The following paper was read:— 
“ Autumn Tints ; Their Why and Wherefore .” By Mr 
Henry Coates. 
To the student of nature each season of the year is 
full of deep interest, and each furnishes him with abun¬ 
dant material for investigation. But to the botanist 
spring and autumn are the seasons of special interest. 
They set him thinking of the wonderful changes which take 
place in the plant world at the opening and closing of the 
year—changes on which depend the life and growth of all 
the plants around him, and which yet are carried on so 
gradually and silently as to be almost unnoticed except by 
the close observer. With such thoughts as these his mind 
will be particularly busy as he wanders through the woods 
and meadows in the end of September and beginning of 
October. Most naturalists, I think, have an artist’s ap¬ 
preciation of the beauties of form and colour in the objects 
they study. Those who have this gift of appreciation will 
revel in the wealth of rich colouring and mellow shades 
presented by our woods and fields during the months I 
have named, and in the infinite variety of tint to be ob¬ 
served in each individual leaf. 
It is interesting to note the different tints assumed by 
various trees, which we may easily do in the course of a 
walk up the banks of the Tay, or by climbing Moncreiffe 
or Kinnoull Hill. The horse-chestnuts are conspicuous by 
their large leaves of bright yellow, contrasted by the deep 
green of those which are yet untinted, Eor reasons which 
will presently be apparent the leaves at the top of the tree 
and at the extremities of the larger branches are those 
which first change their colour. The sycamores are bril¬ 
liant with blended tints of yellow and red, while the 
beeches have assumed a more sombre colouring of russet 
brown. The most brilliant hues to be observed in our 
native trees are those of the mountain ash, whose leaves 
turn a bright crimson, but even these are outrivalled by 
those of the American maple, which has been introduced 
into many parts of this country. Where the trees have 
been of the most vivid green in summer, such as by the 
banks of streams and in rich soil, the autumn tints are the 
most brilliant, though not the first to appear,—trees in ex¬ 
posed situations generally changing their colour earliest. 
