6d 
and communications, and all the members are en¬ 
thusiastic ; but by the time that the second year is 
reached the novelty has begun to wear off, the 
quarries (so to speak) from which most easily ma¬ 
terials for papers can be drawn are exhausted, and 
it is only those members whose hearts and souls are 
in the Siudy of nature that remain enthusiastic. But 
they must not be enthusiastic for themselves and 
their studies alone; they must be so for the 
well-being of their Society. And when an associa¬ 
tion, however lengthy may be its list of members, 
and however prosperous it may be as regards 
its funds, unfortunately ceases to have such mem¬ 
bers, then woe for that Society ! Let us now 
review our progress during the last three years. 
In March 1867 the Society began life with 16 
members ; in March, 1870, 96 names appear 
on the list. All these are not, however, now 
members, various causes having brought down the 
actual number to about 89. The number of mem¬ 
bers admitted duriug each year (not including 
original members) is as follows:—In 1867, 27 
were admitted ; in 1868, 23 ; in 1869, 30; original 
members, 16 ; total 96. These numbers I think we 
may, on the whole, consider satisfactory; for, not 
only do they show that there is a steady annual 
supply of new members, but, combined with the 
attendance at, and interest shown in, our monthly 
meetings, they prove that the taste for the study 
of natural history is increasing in Perthshire. 
The Society has held 34 monthly meetings, at 
which 46 papers, containing more or less original 
matter, besides other communications, have been 
read. These papers may be divided into the follow 
ing classes :— 
General Natural History, 
10 papers. 
Entomology, . 
8 M 
Conchology, . 
3 M 
Ornithology, . 
3 „ 
Other branches of Zoology, ... 
3 M 
Botany,. 
16 „ 
Geology and Mineralogy, . 
2 M 
Astronomy, . 
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