152 
PROCEEDINGS OP THE PERTHSHIRE SOCIETY OP NATURAL SCIENCE. 
Collections, and donations of animals, plants, or minerals 
will be always acceptable. 
On the 9th of February, a meeting of delegates from a 
number of Scientific Associations in the East of Scotland 
was held in our Lecture-Room to discuss the question of, 
aDd if deemed advisable found, a Federation of the various 
Societies. After deliberation, it was resolved to form a 
Federation, under the title of “ The East of Scotland 
Union of Naturalists’ Societies.” Your delegates, having 
been empowered to do so, agreed that the Society should 
join the Union. The first meeting of the Union is to be 
held in Dundee in June, and a member of this Society has 
the honour of being the first President. 
It may be mentioned that during the past year the use 
of the Lecture-Room has been granted to the “ Perth 
Women’s Educational Association” for several courses of 
lectures, and to the “ Royal Perthshire Horticultural 
Society ” for meetings. 
Your Council has not been idle during the past session, 
having held 23 meetings. 
REPORT OP THE TREASURER. 
By Mr John Macgregor. 
The income of the Society during the past financial 
year (namely, from 1st January, 1883, to 29th February, 
1884) has been £113 13s 5d ; and the expenditure, £104 7s 
8d, leaving a balance in bank of £9 5s 9d. The number of 
paying members elected during the financial year has been 
49. As this is the last report that I have to give as 
Honorary Treasurer, I may be permitted to allude to 
the gratifying fact that, in the seven years during which 
I have held that office, the number of paying members has 
increased from 115 to 308, and that the number is still in¬ 
creasing. There are, however, 9 old members and 9 new 
members in arrears with their subscriptions, representing 
a sum of £6 Is 6d. In the interest of the Society, it would 
be of importance to have these paid up without delay. 
REPORT OP THE LIBRARIAN. 
By Mr JAMES COATES. 
The volumes in the Library now number upwards of 460, of 
which about 325 belong to the Lending Library and the re- 
mainderto the ReferenceDepartment. Duringthe past year 
46 members have taken books from the Library, and 110 
different volumes have been taken out. As it is only for 
a year that the Library may be said to have been fairly in 
working order, the extent to which it has thus been taken 
advantage of is considered very fair. At the same time it 
is hoped that the number of readers will continue steadily 
to increase. A considerable number of volumes have lately 
been added to the Library by purchase and by presenta¬ 
tion. Among the donations may be specially noted the 
series of Land and Water and Gardener's Chronicle, from 
Colonel Wedderbum Ogilvy. 
REPORT OF THE EDITOR. 
By Mr Henry Coates. 
The only publication which the Society has issued dur¬ 
ing the past year is the Third Part of the “Proceedings.” 
By an unfortunate printer’s error, this was marked Vol. 
II., Part III., instead of Vol. I., Part III. I call atten¬ 
tion to this as it might lead to confusion, if not explained. 
Being printed only od the temporary cover, it will not 
affect the volume when complete. The present series was 
commenced in 1880, mainly as aa experiment, and the 
result has encouraged the Council to continue the issue 
in a permanent form. It cannot be doubted that to pre¬ 
serve a record of the work done by our Society enhances 
the value of that work in a scientific sense ; but to make 
the record really valuable it is greatly to be desired that 
many more members would come forward with notes, 
however short or unpretentious, of anything that will 
throw light on the natural history of our district. Were 
this done, not only would the interest of our meetings 
be increased, but greater progress would be made in work¬ 
ing out the local fauna and flora. 
In the Editor’s Report of last year it was intimated 
that the Council had reluctantly decided to discontinue 
the publication of the Scottish Naturalist, It must be a 
matter of satisfaction to all that this journal, though not 
now connected with our Society, has not been allowed to 
become extinct, but is being carried on by our Correspond¬ 
ing Member, Professor J. W. Trail, of Aberdeen. 
REPORT OF THE CURATOR. 
By Crlonel DRUMMONB Hay, C.M.Z.S. 
As I shall have occasion to make allusion, in my address 
as President, to the progress and advance made in the 
several branches of the Natural History Department for 
the past year, it will not be necessary for me to say much 
now on the subject, further than to mention that progress 
is steadily being made; and as regards the local collections, 
that many donations have been received from all classes 
in the county—from the proprietor to the working-man; 
and from the latter we have had several interesting contri¬ 
butions made since the opening of the Museum, shewing 
that a real interest is taken in it by the public. Several 
donations have also been received from various sources in 
behalf of the Index Collection. All these donations are 
most thankfully received; and though some of them may 
not at once be put in the cases, they are carefully kept till 
