Notes and Comments. 51 



SPOONS. 



In his speech at a meeting held in connection with the 

 future Craft Museums recently, Dr. W. Evans Hoyle, who is 

 apparently an authority on the subject, states ' I am a repre- 

 sentative of one of those small nationalities in which we are 

 supposed to be feeling a special interest just now. In Wales, 

 in times noi so far back, many of these home industries were 

 habitually practised : it was the fashion for a young man to 

 present the girl he was courting with a spoon, the handle of 

 which was elaborately carved. Often the handle was fearfully 

 and wonderfully made and of such dimensions, as to render 

 the object quite useless, especially when, with touching sig- 

 nificance, two bowls were attached to one handle. I do not 

 know whether this practice is the origin of the expression 

 " being spoony " on a girl, but it is not so far-fetched as some 

 etymologies that one comes across. Such objects as these 

 and many similar ones are relics of a time before facilities 

 of travel and picture palaces had drawn people away from the 

 pursuit of fireside handicrafts.' 



SALES FROM THE NATIONAL GALLERY. 



The Council of the Museums Association, through Mr. E. 

 Rimbault Dibdin, the president, and Mr. E. E. Lowe, the 

 secretary, have written to the Trustees and Director of the 

 National Gallery to record their appreciation of that part of 

 the National Gallery Bill, 1916, which proposes to allow loans 

 to colonial galleries, and some extension of the facilities for 

 the loan of pictures and works of art to provincial galleries. 

 With regard to the sale of works of art by the National Gallery 

 Trustees, the council ask that, in the event of the Bill becoming 

 law, sympathetic consideration should be given to the needs 

 of provincial and colonial galleries before any work be sold. 

 They further submit that it would be desirable to have an 

 expert independant advisory tribunal to examine and confer 

 with the Trustees and Director in regard to works to be sold 

 or exchanged, and that any legislation designed to restrict 

 the exportation of certain classes of paintings, etc., should 

 apply to all works falling into those classes, and not be res- 

 tricted to those specified on a list prepared by or for the 

 Trustees of the National Gallery. 



CARBONIFEROUS CORALS. 



At a recent meeting of the London Geological Society, 

 Dr. Stanley Smith read a paper on ' Aulina rotiformis, gen. 

 et sp. nov., Pkiliipsastrcea hennahi (Lonsdale), and the genus 

 Oriona-ircea.' . The primarv object of the present communi- 

 cation is a description of a new aid interesting coral genus 

 of colonial habit, Aulina, obtained from the highest limestone 

 that can be associated with the lower Carboniferous— the 



1917 Feb. 1. 



