662 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. ["aNNO 1755, 



not dry or hard, but palpable flesh. It is of a noble and excellent stile. Its 

 head is somewhat rustic, with a goat's beard and ears. It has a laughing coun- 

 tenance, turning its head with much grace, and brings its first finger of the left 

 hand to its face. It extends and raises its right arm, which terminates in a manus 

 impudica. Our Neapolitans, and I have seen the same in our peasants about 

 Rome, frequently wear in their hair a pin, the head of which consists of 

 such a hand; and they say, that they wear this against an evil eye; and in Naples 

 some of these pins are worn by children. "We have found several of these small 

 hands at Herculaneum. It is observable, that these Priapi frequently had this 

 hand; for among the many which remain under my care, there is one with 

 human ears, and with this hand, which together with the whole arm forms a 

 priapus. The head of the figure is covered with a cap, which is folded down 

 behind; and its base is low and round, and well fitted. In fine this may be called 

 one of the most excellent curiosities. In one of the other rooms there was a 

 fine pair of scales, in which there are some remains of the strings made of a 

 kind of fine coral, and the strings remain in some of the rings. There were 

 found also many vessels of earth and fragments of metal. 



In the ancient Stabiae they go on digging; but it is long since any thing of 

 value has been found there, except that in the beginning of this month 2 small 

 statues of brass were discovered. One represents a Venus, but of no value. The 

 other a Panthea with a rudder, horn of plenty, lotus, modius, and sickle. It is 

 but of ordinary workmanship. Many vases of earth, some of glass, have been 

 found. A great vessel of copper with a handle, a singular funnel, a beautifiil 

 little vase of rock crystal with its cover, andasimpulum or ewer; divers medals 

 as well silver as copper, well preserved, but common, and various pieces of leaden 

 pipes, have also been fonnd there. 



The same may be said of Herculaneum ; for since the month of March, after 

 the colossal bust of brass was found, they have discovered nothing of value, ex- 

 cept one thing, which ought to make much noise among the learned, and which 

 I believe to be the only one of its kind in the world. This is a little leg and 

 thigh of metal covered with silver, and which is 5 inches long. On the external 

 part of it is described a sun-dial formed on a quadrant, and as the thigh forms 

 a quarter of a circle, the workman has taken the centre of this quadrant from the 

 extremity or leg of the ham or gammon, and hence has drawn hour lines, which, 

 with the lines that mark the months, form the usual compartments, some larger 

 and others smaller, which are divided 6 by 6, as well in height as length. Below 

 the inferior compartments, which are the less, are read the names of the months 

 placed in 2 lines in a retrograde order, so that the month of January is the last 

 in the first line, which bears the other 5 following months. In the 2d line are 

 described the 6 other months in their natural order; so that the month of De- 



