479 



The evening was brought to a close by a communication from the 

 Rev. Prebendary Scarth, rector of Wriiigton, respecting the Ancient 

 Register of that parish (vide p. 436), which was stated to be one 

 of the most perfect in the kingdom. 



The Session of 1872 — 73 commenced on Wednesday, Nov. 13th, 

 and the members were glad to see their President again in the 

 chair and able to read his paper, which he was obliged through 

 indisposition to postpone giving last Session. Having first made 

 some appropriate remarks respecting the advantage of meetings 

 like the present, and the necessity, and at the same time the 

 difficulty of keeping pace with the rapid advance of modern 

 science, Mr. Blomefield requested Dr. Hunter to take the chair, 

 and proceeded to read his paper on " Local Biology, followed by 

 remarks on the Faunas of Bath and Somerset " (vide p. 373). 



On Dec. 11th, your Secretary opened the second evening meeting 

 by an account of the discovery during the summer of Devonian 

 fossils from the sandstones on the N.E. of the Quantocks (vide p. 

 427), and was followed by Dr. Hunter with " A Note and Query 

 on a Roman Pavement," which he had found in his garden in 

 Bathwick, adjoining the railway ; it was a comer bit, and had 

 tesserae of blue and white lias set in cement. 



Dr. Hunter shortly discussed the sources whence the cubes were 

 obtained which were found in Britain, and he expressed the hope 

 that geologists would settle the question. Those found in IJath 

 and the neighboui-hood seem to be entirely native, being of pottery, 

 of chalk, or of variously coloured lias. Of what they are com- 

 posed in the south-eastern counties, where hard stone is rare, does 

 not seem to have been exactly ascertained. 



The frequency of the occurrence of the story of Orpheus in 

 lapidary work here was also briefly considered, and it was suggested 

 that the Orphic poem, Ta AiOiko, which treats of twenty kinds of 

 precious and common stones, may have been a favourite with the 

 artists in opus mudvum. 



The conversation which -ensued was not prolonged, and the 

 subject may be taken up on a future occasion. 



A geological paper of great interest was read by Mr. McMurtrie 

 on Wednesday, Jan. 15 th, thu lie v. Leonard Blomefield in the 



