178 
PROCEEDINGS OF THE PERTHSHIRE SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCE. 
Lodge; hedgehog — from Mr John Grant, Tullymet, j 
Ballinluig ; common buzzard—from Mr James Scott, j 
Balehallan, Ballinluig ; and six microscopic objects (vari¬ 
ous, mounted)—from Mr John Campbell, George Street. 
III. To the Library .—10 volumes of publications of the 
Royal University of Norway—from the University; Larvae 
of the British Lepidoptera—presented by James Grim- 
mond, Esq., Oakbank, Blairgowrie ; Report of Smith¬ 
sonian Institution, 1882—from the Institution; and Report 
of U.S. Geological Survey, 1880-1—from the Department. 
The following paper was read :— 
“ Museum Notes.—I. Perthshire Mammalia.'" By Dr 
F. Buchanan White, F.L.S. 
Under the title of “Museum Notes,” the paper that 
I have the honour of laying before the Society to¬ 
night is the first of a series which has, I may say, been 
long contemplated by the managers of this Association. 
In forming a Museum the Society was, as you are aware, 
actuated by the belief that such might be made, not a 
mere colleetion of heterogeneous curiosities, but a power¬ 
ful means of education. With this in view those who have 
planned and arranged the Museum have endeavoured to 
convey as much information as possible by the labels 
attached to each specimen or each group of specimens. 
But since the space allotted to such labels is necessarily 
restricted, it is desirable that they should be supplemented 
by a series of papers which may eventually form the 
groundwork for a handbook to the Museum. Each of 
these papers will be devoted to a group or part of a group 
belonging to one or other of the great kingdoms, and will 
demonstrate not only the principle* on which the arrange¬ 
ment has been made, but will point out the deficiencies in 
the number of illustrative specimens, and hence, it is 
hoped, be of service by indicating what specimens are 
required. 
The Mammals of Perthshire have been selected as the 
subject for the first paper, not only because they occupy 
the highest position in the classification, but because the 
collection is still very imperfect, and it is therefore desir¬ 
able that attention should be called to the deficiencies in 
order that they may be filled up. Why there should be so 
many vacant places in the collection I know not, since 
many of the species are common enough and many promises 
of assistance have been made, though, I regret to say, not 
yet fulfilled. It is to be hoped, now that attention is 
called to the urgent need we have of specimens of many 
common animals, that our friends will endeavour to help 
us to get them. It is very probabl* that the reason why 
we have not got some of them is that they are supposed to 
be too common, and hence not worth sending in. Thi3 is, 
however, a mistaken idea, for not only do we require 
examples to illustrate the species, but to show the distri¬ 
bution throughout the county. That there is much need 
of information regarding the distribution I will endeavour 
to point out in the following notes. 
The Mammals (or, as they are more commonly but less 
exactly termed, the quadrupeds) of Perthshire are about 
33 or 34 in number. Of the 15 orders into which the class 
mammalia is divided 7 are represented in Perthshire. In 
the cases in which they are arranged in the Museum the 
chief points of distinction by which the orders are charac¬ 
terised are indicated on large labels placed before each 
order. Before each genus is a smaller label pointing out 
the characters of the genus and the number of species— 
British and Perthshire—contained in it; while before each 
species is another label giving information as to the habits, 
distribution, &c., of the species. Each species ought to be 
illustrated by a skull, as the dentition is of much import¬ 
ance in the classification ; and by a number of specimens 
to show the distribution in the state and colour of the fur 
at different seasons of the year. To each specimen is 
attached a label showing the name, locality, and donor, 
and date when obtained. 
The orders which are represented in Perthshire may be 
thus tabulated:— 
Without hind legs, but with horizontal tail-fin.Cetacea. 
With hind legs; 
Hind legs fin-like, . Pinnipedia. 
Hind legs not fin-like; 
Feet with hoofs,.Ungulata. 
Feet with claws; 
Without canine teeth,.Rodentia. 
With canine teeth; 
Front legs formed for flying,.Cheiroptera. 
Front legs not formed for flying; 
Canine teeth small,.Insectivora. 
Canine teeth large,.Carnivora. 
Order Carnivora. 
1. The Wild Cat (Fells catus L.). Of this we have no 
examples in the Museum, and it has now become so rare 
(if it is not altogether extinct) in Perthshire that there is 
not much hope of our obtaining a recently-killed specimen. 
A number of stuffed Perthshire specimens, however, are in 
existence, and we may hope that the possessor of one or 
other of them may some day be so generous as to present 
an example to the Museum, or, if unwilling to give it 
