ON THE ETHNOGRAPHICAL SURVEY OF THE UNITED KINGDOM 511 



Dr. Browne gives numerous other details of the physical and mental 

 characteristics of the people, their dress, habitations, and mode of life, 

 together with interesting items of folklore. 



The account of the work of the previous year (1895) was published 

 by the Royal Irish Academy last December, 'The Ethnography of 

 Ballycroy, co. Mayo.' ' 



Silchester JExcavaiion. — Report of the Committee, consisting of Mr. 

 A. J. Evans (Chairman), Mr. John L. Myres (Secretary), and 

 Mr. E. W. Brabrook, appointed to co-operate with the Silchester 

 Excavation Fund Committee in their Explorations. 



The Committee beg leave to report that the excavations on the site of the 

 Roman City at Silchester during the year 1896 were begun on May 1 

 and continued, with the usual break during harvesting operations, until 

 October 26. 



The area selected for excavation included two insulce (KY . and XVI.), 

 immediately south of insulce XIIT. and XIV., which were excavated in 

 1895. The result was, on the whole, satisfactory, and as usual ended in 

 some curious and totally unexpected discoveries. 



Insula XV. appears, like insulce IX., X., XI., XII., and XIII., to 

 have been given up to the dyeing industry, of which traces were found in 

 1894 and 1895, and a large area in the northern part of the insula was 

 perhaps used as a bleaching ground. Two wells were discovered, one 

 with a wooden framing at the bottom, the other with a large wooden tub, 

 which will be added with other antiquities to the Silchester Loan 

 Collection in the Reading Museum. 



Insula XVI. contained a large and important house of the courtyard 

 type in the north-west angle, and two other houses of the corridor type, 

 as well as an isolated square building. Traces were also found of other 

 structures, which were probably of wood. A large number of pits were 

 met with in the trenches, and from these some good vessels of pottery 

 and other antiquities were recovered. A pit of unusual size near the 

 south-east angle yielded a large quantity of bladebones of sheep ; the 

 numerous perforations in these showed that they had been used in the 

 manufacture of counters. 



Besides the operations in insulce XV. and XVI., a small area was 

 trenched to the south of the parish graveyard, which is within the walls, 

 in view of its immediate inclosure as an additional burying ground. The 

 area is close to the two square temples uncovered in 1890. The founda- 

 tions of a small house of the corridor type were disclosed, near which was 

 found a lump of worked porphyry. 



It will be seen, therefore, that the results of the year's work in no 

 way fall behind those of former years, and that further progress has been 

 made in the systematic excavation of the site of the Roman city, which 

 has now been carried on by the Committee of the Excavation Fund for 

 seven successive seasons. 



A special exhibition of the antiquities, &c., found was held at Bur- 

 lington House during the month of May, and a detailed account of all 



' Proc. Roy. Irish Acad., vol. iv. 1896, p. 74. 



