Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 10.djvu/407

 10 s. x. OCT. 24, 1908.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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SNAKES DRINKING MILK (10 S. x. 265, 316 Some years ago, when thinking of residin in Bolivia, I made inquiries as to the cond; tions of life prevailing there. Mr. Rober Mackenzie, who had lived in the neighbour hood of Lake Titicaca for many years, men tioned to me, among many things, that th snakes there often wandered into the open to-the-air sleeping-rooms, seeking milk also that, though the snakes took but littl notice of the reposing inmates, the peopl thought it wise to leave milk somewher about, so that the whole attention of thei visitors should be attracted from them !

RONALD DIXON. 46, Marlborough Avenue, Hull.

Mr. Moncure D. Conway in his ' Autobio graphy ' speaks of a black snake common in Virginia, which is locally known as th " Cowsucker." This confirms the belief o the peasants of Provence that snakes suck cows. C. C. B.

A Portuguese version of the story of a snake sucking a nursing-mother is to be found in ' Sunshine and Sentiment,' by Gilbert Watson, 1904, p. 174. M. P.

WlLBERFORCE AND HUXLEY (10 S. X. 209)

An account of the discussion concerning Darwin's theories which took place at the meeting of the British Association at Oxford on 30 June, 1860, and in which Bishop Wilberforce and Huxley took part, will be found in the ' Life and Letters of Charles Darwin ' (by Francis Darwin), 1887, vol. ii. pp. 320-23.

In ' More Letters of Charles Darwin,' 1903, vol. i. pp. 156-7, reference is also made to " a fuller account [than that in the ' Life and Letters '] in the one- volume ' Life of Charles Darwin,' 1892, p. 236 " ; to ' Life and Letters of T. H. Huxley,' vol. i. p. 279 ; and to " the amusing account of the meeting in Mr. Tuckwell's ' Reminiscences of Oxford,' London, 1900, p. 50."

CAROLINE COURTNEY.

BELLS RUNG BACKWARDS (10 S. ix. 229* 418, 473). In Thomas Fuller's 'Profane State,' which follows his ' Holy State,' 1642, is the following :

"Thus the Barretour posts to the houses of his neighbours, lest the sparks of their small discords should go out before he brings them fuell, and so he be broken by their making up. Surely he loves not to have the bells rung in a peal, but he likes it rather when they are jangled backward, himself having kindled the fire of dissension amongst his neighbours." Book V. Chap. 13, 'The Common Barreter,' p. 409.

In 'The Bells,' by Edgar Allan Poe, the

"loud alarum bells can only shriek,

shriek out of tune .... How they clang and crash and roar ! "

The late Dr. Cobhani Brewer, in his ' Dic- tionary of Phrase and Fable,' cited in an editorial note at the first reference, says that "ringing the bells backwards is ringing a muffled peal " ; but he gives no authority for his statement. One can scarcely suppose that when the bells were rung backwards in alarm of fire or rebellion they were muffled. ROBERT PIERPOINT.

MISTRESS RACHEL How (10 S. x. 249). Chaloner Smith in his ' Mezzotinto Portraits,' p. 1181, says :

"Noble (in his 'Biographical History of Eng- land ') supposes this girl to be of the family from which Viscount Howe and Earl Howe descended ; if so, she was probably a daughter either of John Grubham Howe, created Baron Chedworth, or of his younger brother Emanuel Scrope Howe, who married Ruperta, daughter of Prince Rupert by Margaret Hughes. She must have died young, as her name is not amongst the surviving issue of either of those brothers." See also Noble, as above, vol. i. p. 354.

Chaloner Smith assigned the date 1702 to the print, which he knew in three states : without inscription, with lettering, and Boy- dell's reprint. The engraver was John Smith. ARTHUR W. WATERS.

Leamington Spa.

BAYDON, CUMBERLAND (10 S. x. 249). Is this name a mistake for Barton, West- morland, on the borders of Cumberland, and three miles S.W. from Penrith ? I cannot speak of Barton, but in the early portion of the Penrith registers (1586-1601), transcribed by my friend the late Mr. George Watson of Penrith, I note that the name

harpe frequently occurs, commencing with 1580. If MR. SHARPE would like the entries Deferred to, I shall be happy to send them. CHAS. HALL CROUCH.

48, Nelson Road, Stroud Green, N.

ARABIC VOWELS : THEIR TRANSLITERATION 10 S. x. 285). The quotation from Wright's Arabic Grammar ' which is given by MR. ALEX. RUSSELL at the end of his note is, f course, correct if it is held to apply only o the classical pronunciation of Arabic ; >ut as regards the modern language it cannot >e accepted without a heavy discount. The >urest Arabic is still spoken in the province f Yemen, and during my long service as magistrate and civil judge at Aden my ar got so accustomed to the intonation of tie tribesmen that on visiting Egypt the