XXXV. 



The President, in acknowledging the vote, remarked that every year he 

 received letters of commendation on the work of the Club and the value 

 of its publications from eminent scientific men. He then referred to two 

 points of interest which had lately been brought before the Royal Society ; 

 one, that in the slow worm a third and rudimentary eye had been 

 discovered in the forehead, covered by the skin, which was not of use to 

 the animal. The second point was that of the fossil elephant lately 

 discovered at Stalbridge. The remains indicated certain peculiarities of 

 structure, to which he hoped to do fuller justice on some future occasion. 



A ballot was taken for the most suitable sites for holding the meetings 

 during the summer, and it was eventually decided to meet at Chard in 

 June, Corfe Castle in July, Cranborne in August, and Abbotsbury in 

 September. Seven new members were elected. 



The Secretary read a paper on the question of re-organising the Club. 

 He showed that the Field Club had been in active existence for a period of 

 ten years, and during that time most of the leading features of the county 

 had been investigated, and that in the future some new lines of research 

 would have to be discovered, or there would be a danger of a decline in 

 the interest shown in their Proceedings. New Societies were springing up 

 around, which were liable to draw off workers and to reduce their 

 efficiency. A dangerous proposal had lately been suggested of forming a 

 separate Archaeological Society, which should attach itself to the older 

 Society of the county of Somerset. To counteract these dangerous 

 tendencies it was proposed to endeavour to obtain the enrolment of the 

 Field Club on the List of Corresponding Societies of the British Association, 

 and to place the Antiquarian section of the Field Club under a separate 

 sub-committee, who should organise the meetings more thoroughly on 

 behalf of the members. A long discussion ensued, which, if it produced 

 no other result, evinced the wish of the members that no split in 

 the existing Society should occur, but that the two bodies should remain 

 united in one Field Club as hitherto. 



Mr. H. J. Moule, the Curator of the County Museum, read a report of 

 the additions to the collection and the work of re-arrangement carried out 

 in the building during the past twelve months. The chief object kept in 

 view had been that of keeping together and arranging the collections 

 belonging to Dorsetshire entirely. These had been placed in the five north 

 bays of the building. Much valuable help and advice had been rendered 

 by General Pitt Rivers and Mr. Mansel Pleydell in this matter. In the 

 Palffiontological collection the Purbeck formation was particularly well 

 represented, especially in the turtle and fish remains. Attention was 

 directed to the Maggs collection of Nautili and Ammonites from the Inferior 



