40 
XATURE XOTKS 
preserved the bodies of their friends in order that they might be ready. The 
corpse was handed over to the embalmers, who were a guild of priests. The 
body and brain-cavities were cleared of their contents, the test of the corpse being 
steeped for a time in the preserving fluid, and afterwards the cavities were refilled 
with spices. Bands of linen cloth were then wrapped around the mummy be- 
ginning at the feet and working up towards the head. Two or three thicknesses 
of painted cloth were added, the outer one bearing a portrait of the dead man, and 
the whole was enclosed first in a wooden coffin and finally in a stone sarcophagus. 
The funeral procession was always made by water, usually across the Nile. 
Certain animals were also frequently mummified, as they were held sacred, so 
that we find mummified cats, dogs, calves, rams, crocodiles, snakes, apes, 
jackals, and some birds. 
The various implements which were used by the Egyptians in their occupa- 
tions, and were usually buried with them, show the high state of civilisation to 
which they had attained : a wig worn by a priestess, for instance, is particularly 
noticeable on account of the excellent workmanship, and a large number of 
family gods made of porcelain and bronze were seen. A very gruesome sight 
was the tomb and mummy of a man w'ho lived long before the Egyptian historic 
age. The body, entombed in unhewn sandstone with the knees bent up to the 
chin, is accompanied by the flint implements which the dead man used in life. 
A vote of thanks to Mr. Spencer, proposed by Mr. Oke, and seconded by 
Mr. Hugh Boyd Watt, was unanimously accorded. 
FORTHCOMING EVENTS. 
CouN'ciL AND Committee Meeitngs. 
Monday, February 17.— General Purposes Committee at 5.30 p.m. 
Monday, March 16. — General Purposes Committee at 5.30 p.m. 
Tuesday, March 24. — Council Meeting at 5.30 p.m. 
Saturday, February 22. — Visit to the General Post Office. Assemble at 
3.30 p.m. at the notth-east door opposite the Goldsmith’s Hall. Members only, 
number strictly limited. Members wishing to attend should apply at once to 
the Excursions Secretary, enclosing a stamped envelope. 
Projected Arrangements. 
March 28. — Visit to the Church of St. Laurence Jewry. Guide, the Rev. 
J. Stephen Barrass, Rector. 
April II. — Visit to the Orient Royal Mail s.s. “Oiontes” at Tilbury, by 
kind permission of Messrs. Anderson, Anderson and Co. 
Full details will appear in due course. 
All comrnunicatrons with regard to Excursions should be addressed to Mr. 
II. H. Poole, Honorary Excursions Secretary, at 16, Heathcote Street, W.C. 
1. All communications for Nature Notes must be authenticated with the 
name and address of the sender, not necessarily for publication. 
2. The return of an unaccepted contribution can only be guaranteed when it 
is accompanied by a stamped and addressed envelope. The Editor cannot 
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by letter. 
3. All communications for any number must be in the Editor’s hands by the 
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4. Communications for Nature Notes (for which no payment is made), 
books for review, specimens for naming, &c., should be addressed to the Editor, 
Professor G. S. Boui.GER, F.L.S., F.G.S., it, Onslow Road, Richmond, Surrey. 
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cations for membership, should be sent to the local Honorary Secretary, or to the 
Honorary General Secretary of the Society, Wilfred Mark Webb, F. L.S., at 
20, Hanover Square, London, W. 
