.^XXU. THE FIRST WINTER MEETING. 



The Amphora of Fecundity. — Dr. H. Colley March read 

 a short paper illustrated by excellent diagrams on a pagan- 

 Christian overlap of the " Amphora of Fecundity " from a 

 sculpture in the cloister at Elne Cathedral in the Department 

 Pyrenees Orientales, in the South of France. 



Statuette of an* Athlete.— The Rev. S. E. V. Filleul 

 exhibited a little battered statuette of metal which Avas dug up by 

 a working man named Hodge in Wareham about twelve years 

 ago and had been in his keeping, almost unknown and 

 unappreciated, ever since. He turned it up when removing the 

 roots of a tree at a depth of two or three feet beneath the surface. 

 It was in one of the gardens at the north-east corner of the 

 town, close to what is known as the " bowling green." Nothing 

 else of interest was found, though the ground in the neighbour- 

 hood was not searched. It is the figure of a negro athlete in the 

 act of running, wearing the suitable costume of belt and drawers. 

 The metal of which it is made seems to be of a very composite 

 character, bronze in nature, as signs of copper are quite evident 

 and, perhaps, iron, while there is a solid vein of silver in the left 

 arm. The lips are stained with vermilion, which, he had been 

 told, Avas usual in Greek statues, and perhaps in Roman also. 

 INIr. A. S. DrcAv, of Wareham, could guarantee the genuineness of 

 the find, as he saw the statuette directly after it was unearthed. 

 It was sent up to the British Museum for inspection at the time. 

 Mr. Chas. H. Read, of the British Museum, wrote back on May 

 13th, 1896, that he had just discovered that there was in the 

 Museum a little figure apparently of the same mould, but of lead, 

 and with the details much clearer. It came from Perugia in 

 1895. ]\Ir. INIurray, keeper of the Greek and Roman antiquities, 

 considered that both specimens might be genuine. 



Papers. 



The following papers were read : — 



(i.) "The Town Cellars, Poole," by Mr. W. K. Gill. 

 (Printed.) 



