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evening by giving an account of Dr. Tobias Venner, the author 
of the ‘ Via Recta ad Vitam Longam.’ He shortly related what 
could be collected of him from printed accounts, and gave the 
contents of his will (vide p. 11), and some notice of the Parker 
family of Bath and Widcombe. 
EXCURSIONS. 
All the four Excursions were successfully carried out with the 
exception of the one fixed for Wardour Castle; this owing to 
some unknown cause, probably the distance, appeared to be 
viewed in an unfavourable light by the Members, as the Secretary 
received only two names of those willing to join. 
The first took place on 13th of May to Goblin Combe and 
Butcombe, when bright May weather favoured the twenty Members 
who took the train to Yatton. A somewhat dusty walk through 
the rather monotonous village street tended to make the short cut 
across the fields all the more agreeable. Cleeve Toot, a Mountain 
Limestone peak which guards the entrance to the Combe, had 
been a prominent object for some time, the gray colour of the 
rock contrasting so picturesquely with the fresh light green of the 
spring foliage. The origin of the word ‘Toot’ was the cause of 
considerable discussion. The meaning of the word is plain, says 
one; there is a ‘Toot hill’ in Yorkshire, and from its com- 
manding position a horn was blown from its summit to call the 
cattle together. A veteran Orientalist added his support to this 
idea by stating that ‘Tutree’ (spelt thoothooree) was the Ordoo 
or camp language for horn. This may be called the ‘bow bow 
origin of the word. Another derivation was from the word 
‘Toot,’ the root of the Hindoostannee verb ‘tootna’ to break, 
‘toota’ broken. And yet was there still another theory which 
came with the weight of a great authority, that the word ‘Toot’ 
was derived from the Latin name of Mercury Tutates; that 
the Romans were accustomed to place images of Mercury, their 
Tutelary god of heights, on places like the one in question, and 
