142 A Year's Work at the Scunthorpe Museum. 



which give a most interesting idea as to the shapes and sizes of the domestic 

 utensils in use during the Roman occupation of this country. They 

 include pieces of ' Samian ' ware, ' Castor ' ware, basins, dishes, cinerary 

 urns, spindle whorls, roofing tiles, etc. Especially interesting are the 

 remains of Mortaria, i.e., earthenware vessels used for grinding food, etc. 

 They were shallow, circular basins, lined with fragments of flint or other 

 hard stone to facilitate grinding, and possessed a spout or lip for pouring 

 out the material when ground. 



Several other miscellaneous objects have also been turned up, including 

 an earthenware loom- weight and cakes of lead. There are prospects of 

 other numerous additions from this site during the coming year. 



' Bygones.' — A commencement has been made towards forming a 

 small collection of ' Bygones,' consisting of objects now practically obsolete, 

 but which were formerly used in the household or business life of the 

 people, such as tinder-lighters, candle-snuffers, rush-lights, horn lanterns, 

 flails, etc. Already many specimens have been secured, including a set of 

 brass guinea-scales and weights, a hand-loom shuttle, candle snuffers and 

 snuffing tray, gophering iron, hand mangle, and oval boxes of early 

 Congreve matches. This section of the Museum has proved of much 

 interest and the curator would be glad to hear of any other suitable articles. 



War Relics. — This branch develops only very slowly, but few speci- 

 mens having been secured of late. Chief amongst them is a Gas Helmet 

 from a German Officer's dug-out, lent by Lieut. G. A. Gibson, R.E. 

 Additions would be welcomed. 



Coins. — Under this head are several additions. We have received 

 from the Hull Museum, by exchange, a fine seventeenth century Lincoln 

 Tradesman's Token, ' Edward Tomson in the Bale of Lincoln,' ^-d. There 

 have also been added, amongst others, a forged Lincoln shilling token, 

 two replicas of the German ' Lusitania ' medal, and sundry British, 

 Colonial and Foreign coins and tokens. 



Natural History. — This branch of the Museum's work is being ex- 

 tended in a small way, seven cases of local birds and mammals having been 

 added during the past few months. They include : — Common Snipe, Jack 

 Snipe, Woodcock, Sparrow Hawk, Long-eared Owl, Short-eared Owl, Barn 

 Owl, Squirrel. Other specimens are in the hands of the taxidermist. 



"The new cases are all based on a standard size, so that they may be 

 systematically built up as fresh ones are added. Thus, two small cases 

 are equal in size to one large one, and so one. This will avoid a lot of 

 trouble and unsightliness in the future. 



Owing to the large extensions of the works and the cutting down of 

 much timber in the neighbourhood, our local birds and mammals are in 

 danger of becoming almost extinct during the next few years. It is there- 

 fore the duty of the Museums Committee to see that as many local speci- 

 mens as possible are placed in the Museum. The cost of properly preserving 

 and casing these is really very small, especially when compared with the 

 importance of keeping these local records in the Town's Museum. The 

 Museum will fail in one of the chief parts of its work if it allows the 

 district to become denuded of wild life without building up a representative 

 collection whilst it has the opportunity. 



Mr. Joseph Fletcher has presented a case containing numerous Butter- 

 flies and Moths, and various other objects have also been secured. 



Geology. — Many fossils have been obtained from the Frodingham 

 Ironstone, but lack of shelf space forbids their exhibition at present. 

 An extensive series of fossils has been secured from the strata below the 

 Ironstone, i.e., the clays and shales exposed in the Frodingham railway 

 cutting. It is hoped that the classification of these specimens may be 

 completed at an early date, when it is anticipated that the records will be 

 published in The Naturalist. Lack of space again prohibits their exhibi- 

 tion. Fossils have also been added from the local ' Pecten ' bed of Iron- 

 stone and from the Lower Lias Clay. 



Naturalist 



