The operations at Melos of the British School, between March 20th and the end of May, were mainly tentative in character; the island contains evidently a large number of ancient sites, but unfortunately, in most of them, a great deal of unsystematic and unrecorded digging has been for a long time carried on. It seemed, therefore, desirable to ascertain, first, whether it would be necessary to continue for more than one season; and, secondly, what sites would best repay investigation. Our first researches were directed to the shore of the little bay of Klima, which lies at the foot of the hill on which the theatre and many other traces of the old town are still distinguishable. The fact that part of this ground (the property of the Government) was said to have yielded the celebrated statue of Poseidon, now in the National Museum, as well as other statues (one of which is still lying in situ), and was otherwise said to be unexcavated, seemed to warrant our choice; the more so as the Government had made this excavation a condition of their permission. Here, then, on March 20th, we began (site A, fig. 2); at the same time I received permission to break ground at another promising site (site B) in the opposite side of the delta, where the gardener, in sinking a well-shaft, had come upon traces of a marble pavement with two bases resting upon it.