95 



of Mr. John Bellows. In making these cuttings were found 

 several pieces of Eoman pottery, the common black, and good 

 red Samian ; pieces of brick and tile, a bone needle and some 

 bone hair-pins. So here were three civilizations, one super- 

 imposed upon the other in regular stratigrapliic sequence, the 

 old Eoman being at the base, then the walls of the mediaeval 

 city, and lastly the Steam Press of the 19th century, in which 

 are combined all the memories of the past and all the powers 

 of the future.* 



The party dined together at the Spread Eagle Hotel. After 

 dinner the President read a long and interesting letter from a 

 gentleman of the name of Twopent, giving an account, with 

 illustrations of a strange animal, which he and a party of 

 friends on board a yacht had watched for a whole summer's day 

 in the Sound of Sleat, off the island of Ske. The creature was 

 described as lying on the surface of the water — it was calm — 

 in several long lumps or undulations, extending for a distance 

 of 60 or 70 feet. It eventually bore down on the vessel, with a 

 great head of spray, which it was described as throwing up in 

 front, accompanied by considerable disturbance of the water.. 

 When within 100 yards it turned off, and its course could be 

 traced below the surface for a considerable distance. This was 

 stij)posed to be the strange creature which under the name of 

 the " Sea Serpent," has been from time to time chronicled as a 

 visitant to the coast and Fiords of K'orway from the days of 

 Pontoppidan, since which time it has been an enigma to science 

 and philosophy. The present instance, though so near apparently 

 to affording a solution, leaves the question as far from settle- 

 ment as ever. 



The first Field Meeting for the season of 1873, was held at 



BIEDLIP, 



on Wednesday, 14th May, on which occasion a large number of 

 members assembled on the lawn of the Black Horse Inn, a 

 locality rendered interesting to the Cotteswold Natiu'alists as 

 having been that at which the Club took its origin on the 

 7th July, 1846. 



* A drawing of the wall is given further on. 



