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NOTES AND COMMENTS. 
ANTIQUARY V. ANTIQUARIAN. 
We have always tried to distinguish between an ‘ antiquary ’ 
and an ‘ antiquarian.’ It seems that a few years ago six gold 
nobles of Edward III. were found together just under the turf 
near Calder Abbey. They may have got there, of course, in a 
number of different ways, but a writer, evidently an ' anti- 
quarian ’ (not an antiquary), in the recent volume of the Trans- 
actions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and 
Archaeological Society, gives the following extraordinary 
theory : — ‘ We may imagine some knavish varlet — a lay brother 
if you will — having stolen the coins from the Abbey, fleeing 
over the fell rich with a purchasing power of quite £50 in the 
present day, and avoiding the usual track. He arrives breath- 
less at the little stream and sinks down to rest and drink. 
Sitting up he looks back, no one is in sight, all seems well. 
From his wallet he draws his ill-got gain and gloats over it. 
Again he looks round ; all is quiet, the sun is hot, his hand 
sinks by his side and he mechanically places the coins in a 
pile beside him. Almost drowsing in the heat, he suddenly 
starts, bounds up ; there is a sound of distant shouting and 
barking of dogs. Away he runs over beck and brow forgetful 
of his treasure, away round the friendly shoulder of the hill. 
How far does he get before he discovers his loss ? What be- 
comes of him ? Caught or not, one thing is clear, he never came 
back.’ We are equally certain he never went ! 
MEDULLOSA PUSILLA. 
In The Proceedings of the Royal Society, B. Vol. 87, Dr. D. H. 
Scott has a valuable paper on Medullosa pusilla. This species 
somewhat resembles M. anglica. It is small (the stem with 
the leaf bases not exceeding 2 cm. in diameter), and was 
found by Mr. P. Walley in the soap-stone which occurs immedi- 
ately above the Halifax Hard-bed in the Harkhill Pit, Colne, 
Lancs. Beautiful illustrations showing the structure of this 
species are given, together with a detailed description, from 
which it seems clear that the new plant greatly resembles 
M. anglica, except in size, and we note that even Dr. Scott 
himself questions whether it is worth while to separate the 
species on the ground of size alone, as it may be from the basal 
part of the stem, or merely a dwarf plant. 
THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. 
We learn from The Yorkshire Observer that the bloodless 
battles of the great scientific parliament — the British Associ- 
ation for the Advancement of Science — reach us in England 
only in faint echo this year across the oceans and amid the din 
of material warfare. But it is characteristic of the fact that 
1914 Sept. 1. 
R 
