470 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [anNO 1747-8. 



work are given both in English and French; and the figures being drawn by the 

 ingenious author after life, were afterwards etched by himself, and all the illu- 

 minated sets were coloured under his directions, and all touched up and finished 

 by his own hand. 



The Inscription on a Roman Altar found near Stanhope m the Bishopric of 

 Durham. Communicated to the Royal Society by the Rev. Thomas Birch, 

 F. R. S. N° 486, p. 173. 



SILVANOINVICTOSACRVM 



CTETIVSVETVRIVSMICIA 



NVSPREFAIAESEBOSIAA : 



NAEOBAPRAMEXIMIAE 



PORMAECAPTVMaVEM 



MVLTIANTECESSO 



RESEIVSPRAEDARI 



NONPOTVERVNTVSLP 



Silvano invicto sacrum 



C. Tetius Veturius Micia- 



nus, Praef. AlaB Sebosia- 



nae, ob Aprum eximias 



formae captum quem 



multi Antecesso- 



res ejus praedari 



non potuerunt Votum solven lubens posuit. 



Of an Extraordinary Fish, called in Russia Quab ; and on the Stones called 

 Crabs' Eyes. Communicated by Mr. Henry Baker, F. R.S. N" 486, p. 174, 



As to the quab, which some report to be first a tadpole, then a frog, and at 

 last a fish, it is very well known, says Dr. Mounsey, physician in Russia, to 

 him ; but with regard to such changes, he believes them to be entirely fabulous. 

 He has indeed seen, in the chamber of rarities at Petersburg, this fish, preserved 

 in spirits, under all these appearances; but was not permitted to take out any 

 one of them, in order to remove the scruples he made; however, desiring as far 

 as possible to come at the truth, he turned the bottle hastily on one side, to make 

 the fish fall to the glass, which he thought they did with more seeming hardness 

 than could be supposed in fishes; which induced him to conjecture, that they 

 are pieces of art, the idea of which has been taken from the resemblance of the 

 head of this fish to that of a frog. Whence he supposes they may be made of 

 wax, and kept in this manner to amuse the world. If there be, he says, such a 

 thing in nature, which he does not think probable, it must be peculiar to some 



