222 
PROCEEDINGS OP THE PERTHSHIRE SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCE. 
the result will be a great addition to our knowledge, when 
the plants have been worked out. In the other depart¬ 
ments of natural history I do not think so much has been 
done as amongst the plants, though of course the workers 
in these divisions have not been idle. In connection with 
these, I should like to take this opportunity of saying 
that if the members of the Society and others to whom 
lists of the Perthshire mammals were sent (in order that 
the species occurring in the different parts of the county 
might be ascertained) would now return the lists to me, I 
should be much obliged. When the lists have been 
returned, I will hope to be able to bring the results of my 
investigations before the Society. 
We have now to briefly consider the work before us 
during the coming winter. Prom the syllabus of papers to 
be read, it will be seen that a fair proportion of them 
relate to the natural history of Perthshire. This is as it 
should be, for the special work of a local Society is the 
elucidation of the natural history of its own district; and 
if it does not take up that, it is not doing its duty, and 
might as well cease to exist. At the same time it is desir¬ 
able that papers of a wider scope— always provided that 
they be original, and not merely a resumd of what is or 
ought to be already known to every student of nature— 
should be intermingled with the others, and this is what 
our syllabus presents. 
I do not purpose noticing in detail the papers in our 
programme, but there is one to which, as it presents some 
novelty, I wish briefly to allude. This is the paper, or 
series of papers, on the natural history of Kinnoull Hill. 
The plan adopted for these is new, so far as our Society is 
concerned. If the result prove interesting and instructive, 
as I think it should, the plan might be extended to other 
places in our district, and their natural history discussed 
in a like co-operative manner. I mention this now in 
order that, if taken up, the members concerned may begin 
to collect material for working it out. 
It will be seen from the programme that we purpose 
having this session another conversazione. Your Council 
had under consideration several proposals for a conversa¬ 
zione on a rather more extensive scale than the one of 
last winter session, but after deliberation it was not 
considered advisable to go beyond our own building, 
nor to depart from the lines of our very successful 
gathering last January. 
Hitherto, I have been treating of the work that 
may be done at our ordinary meetings, but there is 
other work that may be performed by members 
who are desirous of helping the Society. As you 
are aware, we have now a very large collection of 
Perthshire plants, but till these are properly fixed down 
to sheets of paper they cannot be available for examination 
by members. Hitherto the labour of doing this has 
fallen upon one member, Mr James Coates, who has 
also other duties in connection with the work of the 
Society; but, owing to the rate at which our specimens have 
accumulated, it is quite beyond the power of one person 
to overtake the work. We would therefore ask members 
to volunteer assistance in this matter. All material will 
be provided, and instructions given. 
Another department in which members can assist is 
the Perthshire Geological Collection. This part of the 
Museum is by no means so far advanced as it ought to be. 
What we need are specimens illustrative of the rocks of all 
parts of the county, and though a little knowledge of 
geology would greatly assist the collector, yet specimens 
may be collected without such knowledge. One thing is 
necessary, and that is that each specimen should have the 
name of the locality carefully attached to it, and mention 
made as to whether it is from the living rock, or from a 
detached boulder. Especial attention should be directed 
to the boulder clay wherever sections of it are exposed, 
and all the kinds of stones in it collected, labelled with 
locality, and sent to the Museum. This is work that 
might be done by any member, and such specimens would 
be very valuable for the Museum. 
In conclusion, I have a word or two to say about the 
Museum. During the past summer there has been a large 
number of visitors to it. Some of these have been natural¬ 
ists well qualified to criticise, and I am glad to say that in 
every case within my knowledge the criticism has been 
very favourable. I am tempted to give you the opinions 
expressed by two very well-known men of science. Pro¬ 
fessor Flower, who is the Director of the Natural History 
Department of the British Museum, and who, therefore, 
it must be allowed, is well qualified to offer an opinion on 
Museums, spent more than two hours with Colonel Drum¬ 
mond Hay in our Museum, and made a most minute ex¬ 
amination of it. Remarking that one of the very best 
methods of conveying instruction in Natural History was 
by local references, he said that be considered our Museum 
to be one of the best arranged local ones he had seen. An In¬ 
dex Collection was essential, and ours, so far as it went, was 
admirably arranged for the purpose. (You will remember 
that in my annual address last March, I pointed out the ne¬ 
cessity of giving, when we have tb e means, more space to the 
Index Collection.) The collection of PerthshireLepidoptera 
was also an object of special notice. Professor Flower ex¬ 
pressing the wish that they had in the British Museum as 
! good a collection—in proportion—of British Lepidoptera. 
