Dr. C. Stuart on a Font from Coldingham Abbey. 251 



eighteen or twenty long, slender tentacles : reproductive capsules 

 on separate short branches, near the lower part of the stem, on 

 clustered or verticillate pedicles, two or three capsules in linear 

 series on each pedicle. Height | inch. 



Parasitical on Antennularia ramosa. Embleton Bay, R. Em- 

 bleton. 



Pecten septem-radiatus. New to Berwickshire, and the second 

 specimen that has been taken on the Northumberland coast. 



A beautiful specimen of the Gilt Head, Pagellus Centrodontus, 

 was sent to me by the Rev. J. D. Clark : it was caught in Berwick 

 Bay. It is a rare fish on this coast, and is the second specimen 

 I have seen. 



A specimen of that very rare fish, Torpedo vulgaris, or Electric 

 Ray, was taken in Embleton Bay in the month of June last. 



An Account of a Font from Coldingham Abbey. 

 By Charles Stuart, M.D. 



Nearly a hundred years ago there lived in the village of 

 Coldingham a builder named William Spouse. The father of Mr. 

 John Fish (the present tenant at Hutton Barns in Berwickshire) 

 married the only daughter of the said William Spouse, who in- 

 herited her father's property at his death. Among other things, 

 she came into possession of the Font belonging to the Abbey, 

 which was found at the bottom of a heap of rubbish, bought by 

 her father there. After her marriage the font was removed to 

 Ayton, the residence of her husband ; and when they removed to 

 Nancefield, in Hutton parish, thither the font went also. Twenty- 

 five years ago Mr. J. Fish became tenant at Hutton Barns ; but 

 the font was left behind and forgotten at Nancefield. About 

 four months ago, however, in the course of a conversation with 

 Mr. W. Fish, brother to Mr. John, anent the Abbey of Colding- 

 ham and its restoration, he informed me that " he once had the 

 stone the monks kept the holy water in," and added, " that I 

 could not guess the use the stone was put to." I could not 

 guess, but was not a little astonished to hear that it was used as 

 a pig's feeding-trough. He farther stated, from its size and 

 solidity, he had no doubt it was still in existence. He went on 

 to say that at any rate it was all safe when they left Nancefield 

 twenty-five years ago, and that he would make over his right to 

 it to me, if it could be found. An inquiry and search were forth- 

 with instituted at Nancefield, and the object of our search 

 discovered in one of the cattle courts. Twenty-five years' pos- 

 session, however, constituted a pretty fair title to ownership with 



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