The Report. 85 
the extreme importance of promoting the safe keeping of such 
ancient books and documents as now come into the custody of 
Parish Councils. The County Council of Wiltshire is exercising 
its powers to secure the transfer of such documents into the custody 
of Parish Councils. This Society may well express the desire that 
the powers of the Council may also be exercised most rigorously to 
secure their safe keeping by their new custodians. There is ground 
for fearing that in some cases there is no sufficient provision made 
for this, and no supervision of the documents or the receptacles in 
which they are now supposed to be preserved. 
_ “6. Atthe Museum a new case has been placed in the Antiquities 
Room to accommodate the finds from the various Roman wells near 
Silbury Hill, and a good deal of progress has been made in photo- 
graphing, drawing, and describing the objects not included in the 
Stourhead Collection, with a view to the publication of a second 
} ortion of the catalogue. This work, however, must necessarily 
take some considerable time before it is completed. The most 
notable gift during the year is that by Mr. W. Brown of the case 
of objects belonging to him which have long been exhibited on loan, 
including the very fine specimen of a ‘Grape Cup,’ found near 
Avebury. 
_ “After the additions made to the collection of birds last year the 
Committee requested their old and tried friend, Rev. A. C. Smith, 
to inspect the birds and the cases in which they are placed, with an 
idea that they might be re-arranged and catalogued. Mr. Smith 
kindly rendered to the Society this congenial service. He reported 
that we have a noble collection of British birds, of which any 
county might be proud, and that they appear to be in excellent 
preservation, so far as could be seen. The numbering of the birds 
is, however, very defective. Mr. Smith made a suggestion as to 
how they might be catalogued, but strongly deprecated opening the 
eases, which might entail risk of great injury to the specimens. 
_ “7. The Library has received this year one of the most re- 
markable donations that have ever been made to the Society, con- 
sisting of a great number of most valuable deeds and MSS. connected 
vith the family history of the county, dating from the thirteenth 
F 2 
