The Birnam Postie, Charles McIntosh, an associate member of PSNS and a self taught naturalist with a special interest in fungi, was also known as the Perthshire Naturalist. He, along with other members of the Society, contributed records to Francis Buchanan White’s ‘The Flora of Perthshire’ in 1898. Charles discovered 13 previously unknown fungi.
He also befriended the young Beatrix Potter who found Scotland a wonderful source of fossils and fungi for a budding geologist and mycologist. Peter Rabbit and Mr. Jeremy Fisher, were first featured in picture letters written from Dunkeld long before the little books were published. Charles may have been the inspiration for Mr McGregor.