PROCEEDINGS OF THE PERTHSHIRE SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCE. 
151 
ing six varieties, from Mr Henry Wilkie, Barrack Street; 
peregrine falcon, from Lady Helen Macgregor, Edinehip ; 
six slides of diatoms from the Tay opposite the North 
Inch, from Dr Trotter. 
EXHIBITIONS. 
Dr Buchanan White exhibited specimens of a new British 
plant from the Society’s herbarium. The plant in question 
is a kind of clover ,—Trifolium agrarium and was 
found by Colonel Drummond Hay and himself near Loch 
Cluny in 1872. He had also found it more recently near 
Eorteviot. In the latter locality it might have been intro¬ 
duced (it was found in similar places near Aberdeen), but 
in the former it had the appearance of a native. Trifolium 
agrarium probably only required to be looked for to be 
found in other places, as it might be readily passed over 
from its resemblance to the common yellow clover— Tri¬ 
folium procumbens L, The points of distinction between 
the two species were pointed out by Dr Buchanan White. 
Mr Herd, Moncreiffe, exhibited a specimen of fungus 
(polyporus ); a blue boulder stone of thick texture, found 
on Moncreiffe Hill; and an oyster shell, to which part 
of the root of an oak had attached itself in a curious way. 
THE LATE SHERIFF BARCLAY. 
The Secretary reported that the following record had 
been entered in the minutes respecting the late Sheriff 
Barclay :—“ The Society desires to record the loss it has 
sustained by the lamented death of Sheriff Barclay, who 
always took a keen and active interest in the Society and 
its proceedings. He was elected an ordinary member in 
March, 1871, and held the offices of Councillor and Vice- 
President respectively from the year 1876 to 1878, and was 
a regular attender of the meetings.” 
REPORT OF THE DELEGATES TO THE CONFERENCE ON THE 
FEDERATION OF SOCIETIES. 
Dr Buchanan White reported that Mr Robert Pullar 
and he, the delegates appointed at last meeting, had 
attended the Conference held in the Society’s lecture- 
room on February 9th. Nine Societies were represented 
by delegates at the meeting, and, after a considerable dis¬ 
cussion, the Constitution, which had been submitted to the 
Council of our Society for consideration, was adopted with 
a few trifling amendments. After that had been done it 
was resolved to federate the Societies in the counties of 
Aberdeen, Fife, Forfar, Kincardine, Kinross, and Perth, 
under the title of the “ East of Scotland Union of 
Naturalists’ Societies.” The delegates of five of the 
Societies (including our own), having powers to do so, 
then announced that their respective Societies would join 
the Union, while the delegates of the four remaining 
Societies agreed to recommend their Societies to do the 
same. These Societies, along with another, have since 
joined the Union, which now includes all, except two or 
chree, of the Naturalists’ Societies in the district of the 
Union. The number of members in the federated Societies 
is probably upwards of 1200. It was agreed that the first 
annual general meeting should be held in Dundee in June 
next, and Dr Buchanan White, F.L.S., was unanimously 
elected President, and Mr F. W. Young, F.R.S.E., 
Dundee, Secretary, of the Union. 
REPORT OF THE COUNCIL. 
The Council, in presenting the Seventeenth Annual 
Report, has, as in former years, to congratulate the 
members on the continued prosperity of the Society. 
During the past Session six ordinary meetings were 
held, the average attendance at which was 30. At these 
meetings eight papers (in addition to shorter communica¬ 
tions) were read, the number of authors being six. From 
these statistics it will be seen that the average attendance 
has been nearly double that of the previous Session, 
which is perhaps due to the fact that all the meetings are 
now held in the evening, and not alternately in the after¬ 
noon and evening as hertofore. The Council wishes to 
call the attention of members to the need that there is 
for improvement in the matter of papers and communica¬ 
tions, the number of these being below what the members 
ought to produce. 
During the past year four long excursions were made, 
particulars of which will be found in the “Proceedings.” 
As usual, the best thanks of the Society are due to those 
landowners who kindly granted permission to go over their 
properties. 
To the roll of the Society 49 ordinary members have been 
added during the past Session. The membership of the 
Society is now 321, including 2 Honorary and 7 Corres¬ 
ponding Members, and 4 Associates. 
The hope expressed in last year’s Report that the 
arrangement of the Museum would be sufficiently ad¬ 
vanced, to allow of its being opened to the public, has been 
realised. It was formally opened on the 20th of December 
last, on which occasion a conversazione, on a large scale, 
was held, and was well attended. Since the Museum was 
opened, it has been visited by upwards of 7000 persons, 
and though the majority of these came on the occasion of 
the opening, and on New-Year’s-Day and Handsel-Mon¬ 
day, there has been a large number of visitors every week. 
Though the Museum has been thus thrown open, a great 
many specimens are still required for the Perthshire 
