PROCEEDINGS OF THE PERTHSHIRE SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCE. 
93 
During the past session six ordinary meetings were held, the 
average attendance at_which was 17. At these meetings six 
papers were read, the number of authors being six. These 
statistics show that there is still room for improvement with 
respect both to the attendance at the meetings and to the 
number of members who take an active part in them. As 
complaints have been made that members are apt lo forget 
the dates of the meetings, your Council has arranged to try the 
experiment of sending out special notices of each meeting, 
which it is hoped will have the effect of increasing the average 
attendance. 
During the past year four long excursions were successfully 
conducted—namely, to Logierait, Doune and Blairdrummond 
Moss, Glenartney, and the lochs near Blairgowrie. At these 
excursions several interesting additions to our knowledge of the 
natural history of Perthshii e were made. 
While the Society has added to the roll during the past year 
49 ordinary, 1 honorary, and 1 corresponding member, several 
more or less intimately counected with the work of the Society 
have been removed by dealh. Amongst these may be noticed 
Mr Henry May, Governor of the General Prison for Scotland, 
who, though not a professed naturalist, always manifested a 
warm interest in the work of the Society, and by whom the 
Museum was enriched by several rare specimens; and Mr John 
Sadler, Superintendent of the Edinburgh Royal Botanic Gardens, 
■who was the first elected member of the Society. The Council 
has also to notice with regret the removal from the district—by 
reason of his appointment to the Chair of Geology in the Univer¬ 
sity of Edinburgh—of Dr James Geikie, to whom the Society is 
is indebted for many valuable services. 
The total number of members of the Society is now 271, con¬ 
sisting of 25S ordinary, 2 honorary, and 7 corresponding mem¬ 
bers, and 4 associates. There are still, however, many persons 
in Perthshire who might be willing to join the Society if its 
claims were brought before them. The Council would, there¬ 
fore, again urge upon members the desirability of calling the 
attention of their friends to the many advantages which the 
Society offers. 
The arrangement of the Museum is being satisfactorily carried 
on, and it is hoped that it may be sufficiently advanced as to 
admit of a public opening taking place in the beginning of next 
winter. In the meantime, the Museum is open to the inspection 
of members. 
Amongst other events of the past session may be mentioned 
the course of very successful Combe Lectures on Physiology (the 
local arrangements for which were made by our Society in con¬ 
junction with the Literary and Antiquarian Society) delivered 
during the past winter. Allusion may also he made to the fact, 
that the use of our lecture-room has again been given for several 
courses of lectures delivered to the Ladies’ Educational Associa¬ 
tion. 
REPORT OF THE TREASURER. 
The Treasurer (Mr John Macgregor) submitted a state¬ 
ment of the accounts for the year ending December 31st, 
1882, from which it appeared that the amount of income 
was £96 7s 7d, and expenditure £60 Is 9d, leaving a balance 
in hand of £36 5s lOd. The Treasurer also reported that 
there were 45 members in arrears with their subscriptions, 
38 of these were old members, and 7 new ones ; and the 
Treasurer hoped that they would see their way to have 
these cleared off as soon as possible. He also begged to 
remind members generally that their subscriptions for 
the current year were due on the 2d April, and should be 
paid to him immediately thereafter, as agreed upon by the 
Council. The annual subscription for old members was 
now 5s 6d, which included the price of a copy of the “ Pro¬ 
ceedings ; ” and for new members 8s for first payment, and 
5s 6d after. 
REPORT OF THE LIBRARIAN. 
BY MR JAMES COATES. 
By no means the least gratifying result of the’ occupation of 
the new premises is that the Society has now been enabled to 
institute its Reading-Room, to establish its Library on a most 
satisfactory basis, and to provide them with every thing neces¬ 
sary for placing them in efficient working order. On the table 
in the Reading-Room will be found the leading Natural History 
periodicals, and many of the publications of sister Societies, not 
only in this country, but on the Continent and in America. 
These the members are free to consult at all hours when the 
Reading-Room is open. 
The work of arranging and cataloguing tile Library has now 
been completed, and copies of the catalogue have been sent to 
the members. At the commencement of the catalogue will be 
found a list of the rules which regulate the issue of hooks, and it 
is desirable that members, iu making use of the Library, should 
study these and observe them. The volumes at present number 
about 350, and additions are from time to time being made. 
This number may not appear large, but it must be recollected 
that the Library is not a general one, but is devoted exclusively 
to the collection of those works which bear upon the subject of 
Natural History, and, as such, the Society has reason to con¬ 
gratulate itself upon possessing a Library so complete and com¬ 
prehensive. 
The Library is divided into tw® sections— the Reference and 
the Lending Library. The Reference Section consists chiefly 
of standard monographs on almost every subject within the 
range of Natural Science, and these are reserved for consulta¬ 
tion on the premises. The books contained in the Lending 
Section are intended for circulation among the members in the 
usual way. The majority of these books have been acquired 
within the last year,—partly through purchase by the Society, 
as in the case of the publications of the Ray Society, the works 
of Charles Darwin, &c. ; and partly through presentation. To 
the British Association for the Advancement of Science, the 
Smithsonian Institute, &c., the Society has to record its thanks 
for handsome donations to its Library. 
It only remains for the members of the Society to take full 
advantage of the opportunities thus afforded them. By referring 
