418 (I'roc. B.N.P.C, 



dress was illustrated throughout by an exhaustive series of 

 lantern slides depicting the natural features, the antiquarian 

 remains, and the ethnography of the island. The lecturer 

 closed with a most suitable illustration for this season of the 

 year by describing a custom which still prevails amongst all the 

 inhabitants of lighting a candle on Christmas Eve and placing 

 it in the window, leaving the door ajar so that the Divine 

 Visitor may enter and find rest — a deeply religious rite to com- 

 memorate the refusal of shelter in the inn of Bethlehem, when 

 the Divine mother had to take shelter in the stable — it being 

 the wish of every islander that the Madonna and her Child 

 should see the light in his house and enter through the open 

 door. 



A novelty was introduced at this meeting by the lecturer 

 calling on a friend of his (Mr. Hughes) to reproduce one of the 

 ballads sung on the island. Mr. Hughes sang this very sweetly, 

 and gave great satisfaction to the audience. 



The proceedings then concluded. 



"PREHISTORIC MAN. 



The third Wednesday evening meeting of the above Club 

 was held on January 3rd, 1906, in the Museum, College Square 

 North. The Vice-President (Mr. Robert Patterson, F.Z.S., 

 M.R.I. A.) presided, and there was a large attendance of mem- 

 bers. The paper to be read by Mr. Alex. Milligan was on 

 "Prehistoric Man," and this wide field was covered in an interest- 

 ing manner. In the course of a brief review of the life forms 

 of the past Mr. Milligan pointed out the progressive character 

 of the types that characterise the three great divisions of geo- 

 logical time. Coming to the Tertiary period, he said that in it 

 the climate and other conditions of land life were eminently 

 favourable, and here we accordingly find nature producing 

 lavishly. Mammalian forms were plentiful, and had great scope 

 for multiplication and development. This great productive- 

 ness in the higher forms would, however, at a later stage lead to 



