Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 4.djvu/621

. iv. DEC. 23, loos.] NOTES AND QUERIES. 515 ever said or believed as to its any screaming attributes. Miss •word was Oarnett's statement to that effect was the first that ever I had heard, nor had 1 been told that the owner of the skull had ever been the servant of a Roman Catholic priest, with its resulting tragedy. If it be a negro skull—as to which I had •doubts, but, though only the upper half of the skull remains, that should not be difficult to decide by an expert—I have now •a much more interesting and romantic solution of its ownership in connexion with the Pinney family, which has afforded me many pleasant hours of research in the West Indies. The result of this research has since appeared^ in the pages of the Somerset and Dorset Notes and Queries at some consider- able length (vol. viii. p. 308, 1903), and a final paper on the subject has just come out {vol. ix. p. 315) in the September quarterly part for the current year. These I felt were all too long—if not too local—to communicate to'N. &Q.' In conclusion I may say that I have the assurance of those who knew the legend in its earliest form and on the spot that there was not at that time the slightest suggestion of the skull ever having been known to scream. The legend in its original and true form may be all the tamer for this denial ; but, knowing the subject as I do, I am jealous that the tradition should continue to be pure, and unadulterated by—it may be— accretions from other and not dissimilar sources. Like your distinguished corre- spondent PROF. SKEAT, I cannot abide these guesswork innovations, and I only wish that I had, like him, a stronger way of showing it Antigua, W.I. J. S. UDAL, F.S.A. LINCOLNSHIRE DEATH FOLK-LORE (10th S iv. 465).—What applies to Lincolnshire does not appear to have held good for Shropshire in 1904, though in this county we have many folk - tales concerning the visits ol birds and the fatal results of the same. My youngest child, a boy, was born in August last year, and a few hours after- wards a pigeon, a stranger to the district, flew into the bedroom, and was with difficulty put out of the window. The next day it appeared again by way of the nursery window, and as it evidently had •come to stay, it was given good quarters in a large outside aviary. It is now living a contented easy life, prospering in equal manner with my vounir hopeful. No one in any way connected with my family died within twelve months, and, as the bird is a nun, I can only suppose my boy will have to go out into the world as a missionary. HERBERT SOUTHAM. RABI'AH, SON OF MUKADDAM (10th S. iv. 449).—The value of the Arabic vowels, ac- cording to the best classical usage, is the same as in Italian. There are many varia- tions in the local dialects. Each of the above names consists of three syllables, the stress falling in each case on the middle syllable. Thus, Rabi'ah rimes with Leah, and Mukaddam sounds very much like the Scotch surname Macadam. JAS. PLATT, Jun. No Englishman can pronounce the first of these names as an Arab does, as it contains a letter which is unknown to the Indo- Germanic tongues. The nearest pronuncia- tion would be "Rubeeyah," the u as in rub, and the accent on the ee. Mukaddam should be pronounced "Mooknddum," the op being pronounced as in foot, and the u in each case as in rub. The accent is on the second syllable. W. F. PRIDEAUX. "THAT SAME" (10th S. iv. 448). —Is not " That same " an Irish form of expression ? A Dublin car-driver, speaking of an ac- quaintance, said, " He professes the Catholic faith, though small credit he is to that same." NORTH MIDLAND. The quotation "that same" is from Lamb's essay on 'All-Fools' Day': "We have all a touch of that same—yon understand me—a speck of the motley." It is to be noted the original reference is somewhat different. OLIVE CLINSON. HYPHENS AFTER STREET NAMES (10th S. iv. 449).—This is not a new practice. On the contrary, it is less common than it was formerly. I have lately had occasion to con- sult some old newspapers, ranging in date from 1779 to 1816. The hyphenizing custom, during this period was scarcely ever departed from. Here are a few examples from a newspaper of 1815 : Crook - house, Spicer- lane, Groat-market, St. James's-square. JOHN OXBEERY. Gateshead. I am glad to see MR. CECIL CLARKE'S note The use of hyphens should be almost entirely abolished. This is one of the numerous mints I have commented on in my biblio- graphy 'Swimming,' 1904; see pp. 27, 28, 339, 392, 428 ; and I have the subject in *N. & Q.' also mentioned I advocated no