277 



the blue and drab colours. The yellow and pink tesserae are 

 formed from rarer material, being peculiar varieties of the 

 magnesian limestone, for chemical analysis indicates such to be 

 their constitution; the pink colour is produced by the stone 

 being streaked and partially mixed with a light coloured 

 peroxide of iron. Terra cotta was employed to produce the red 

 and dark colour. The degree of facility with which these sub- 

 stances would take polish, and the different hues they would 

 assume by contrast with other colours near them, would give 

 greater variety to the whole than might have been expected a 

 combination of colour so simple could produce. To the east of 

 this pavement is a stone wall (K), which has been traced for a 

 few yards, and is interrupted by the material of stone being 

 changed for bricks : these are marked by smoke and are pro- 

 bably the remains of a fire-place. 



No excavations of any value could be carried on, at present, 

 here, for the whole ground is strewn over with stones and the 

 remains of a hypocaust, which had been destroyed by the farmer 

 in obtaining stones for building. 



It might have been expected that amidst ruins of such extent 

 numerous articles for domestic use would have turned up ; this 

 has, however, not been the case ; and in this respect the excava- 

 tions have been particularly unproductive. Large quantities of 

 the ordinary square flue tiles, with lateral openings, have been 

 met with, especially near the hypocaust, scored at the sides in 

 bands diagonally crossing each other, or covering the surface 

 from edge to edge and crossing at right angles ; the object of 

 this marking being to give a rough surface to the tile by which 

 it can be more tenaciously set in the mortar. Not one of these 

 tiles has been found entire. Another kind of tile was the 

 ordinary roofing tile, which is flat, with the edges turned or 

 flanged, as it is called, as well as the semicylindrical tiles 

 f imbrices J, and which, placed over the flanges of two neigh- 

 bouring tiles, connected them. Some of the flat tiles were found 

 with the remains of a nail passing through one end. The tiles 

 were universally marked with the impressions of dogs' feet, 

 arising from the animal passing over them whilst they were in 



