SBLBORNIi SOCIETY NOTICES 
231 
79 A.n. Formerly many olrjects were removed to ihe Museum of Pompeii. 
The narrow stony streets liad very liigh pavements, and were crossed by high 
stepping-stones on account of the sudden heavy rains. Among more recent 
discoveries have been the batlis, as elaborate as most Roman baths, with hollow 
floors for heating the hot rooms. The theatre adjoined the amphitheatre, where 
gladiatorial contests took place. One was in progress when the eruption 
occurred. The shops were small and mean, but the characteristic signs hung 
out were most striking. The lecture was illustrated by many e.'tcellent lantern 
slides. At the conclusion a hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Mrs. Douglas 
Wilson. 
WINTER MEETINGS OF THE SOCIETY. 
November 11. — Over thirty members assembled at the Natural History 
Mu.seum for the first meeting of our winter session. Owing to the unavoidable 
absence through illness of Prof. Boulger, Dr. C. W. Andrews, at very short 
notice, kindly allowed us to join a party from the Battersea Field Club, which he 
was conducting through the I’akeontological Department, where he gave a most 
interesting address on F'ossil Reptiles. Dr. Andrews most lucidly explained the 
difference in structure between the eleven great orders of the Reptilia, and 
showed the gradual development of aeiial and aquatic forms from the terrestrial. 
It was pointed out that the legendary dragons were probably late-surviving 
specimens of some of the Pterosauria or Winged Lizards, an order which is now 
(|uite extinct ; while the idea of the sea-serpent possibly originated in survivals of 
the Mososauria. One of the most complete series exhibited is that of the 
Plesiosauria, of which so many specimens have been secured from the Oxford 
Clay, near Peterborough, by Mr. Leeds, that the development of the reptile can 
be traced from infancy to the adult stage. Mention must also be made of the 
fine skeleton of Pariasaurus bainii found in Cape Colony, by Prof. H. C. Seeley, 
which shows the immense development of the limb bones, a special clavicle, and 
an opening for the medial eye. Another interesting exhibit is a cast of the giant 
tortoise, Pestudo alias, from the Siwalik Hills of India. Finally, we were shown 
the recent addition, Diplodociis carnegii, which, although sixty feet in length, had 
a brain no larger than a walnut, Us chief nerve-centre being in the lumbar 
vertebrte. The head is very small, the neck twenty feet long, and of peculiar 
structure, strong, light and allowing very free movement ; while the tail is some 
twenty-five feet in length, diminishing to a whip-lash at the end. An official of 
the Battersea Field Club moved a hearty vote of thanks to Dr. Andrews, which 
was seconded by the Hon. Secretary of our Excursions Committee, who also 
voiced the thanks of our Society to the Battersea Field Club for their courtesy in 
concurring with Dr. Andrews in permitting us to join their party. 
November 20. — A cordial welcome awaited the eighty Selbornians who visited 
Salters’ Hall, where Mr. S. W. Luard, Clerk to the Company, was in waiting to 
ofler the necessary explanations. Under his guidance a tour of the premises 
was made. The present is the fifth hall that the Company has occupied. In 
Bread Street were the first two, destroyed by fire, and in 1641 the .Salters 
migrated to the present site in St. Swiihin’s Lane, near the London Stone, which 
has since remained their home wdth three successive halls to house them. The 
existing premises are both spacious and imposing, and were created in the 
twenties of the last century. In the Court room a paper of great interest and 
research was read by Mr. Luard. In this he showed the Salters to have had a 
semi-religious origin, as was indeed the case with several of the City Guilds. 
The Salters obtained a licence from Richard II., in 1394, and a formal charter 
of incorporation from Elizabeth. Charles II. withdrew their rights, while William 
III. restored them. James I. induced the Company to invest large sums in 
estatesin Ulster, but in recent ye.ars these have been di-posed of to the tenants 
under one of the Land Acts. Details of the Salters’ Almshouses at Watford and 
Maidenhead were furnished. They had their origin in bequests in the 15th 
and l6th centuries. The Selbornians afterwards partook 01 the ho-ipitality for 
which the Salters have always been remarkable, and on the conclusion of tea the 
heartiest thanks were awarded to the Company for their reception, and to Mr. 
Luard for his able address. 
