Mar. 17. 1855.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



213 



gether in a glass measure, and fill up to 4 ounces with 

 distilled water ; and add iodide of potassium (about GOO 

 grains or more will be required) until a clear solution is 

 produced. If he applies this with a camel-hair pencil 

 (as I have before described), I believe he will obtain most 

 satisfactory results. Let this be called bromo-iodide, or 

 any other name more pleasing to those who object to that 

 term. — I am sure that every one who uses it with due 

 care must meet with general success. — H. W. D."] 



^SiefiXizg to Miixav ^utriei. 



Beechen Roundles (Vol. xi., p. 159.). — Having 

 during last autumn had the pleasure of examin- 

 ing the beechen roundles noticed by Mr. Hares- 

 field, found in the Castle Dairy at Kendal, which 

 to the eye of an antiquary possess considerable 

 interest, and having read his account of the old 

 house and its contents with much gratification, he 

 perhaps will allow me to draw his attention to 

 another set with totally different inscriptions, 

 noticed by Dr. Whitaker in his description of 

 Arthington, in the History of Leeds, vol. i. p. 182. 

 The inscriptions on these are in couplets, and are 

 supposed by Dr. Whitaker to have been devised 

 for the amusement or instruction of the children 

 of the Arthington fixmily soon after the Reform- 

 ation. I would also mention that these roundles 

 have been noticed, and their probable uses dis- 

 cussed, in the pages of the Gent. Mag. ; but not 

 having the index to refer to, I am unable to state 

 the exact volume. Perhaps some of your readers 

 may be able to refer to other existing sets. 



Thos, Corser. 

 Stand Rectory. 



Poems of Ossian (Vol. xi., p. 92,). — The late 

 Bishop of Kingston, Upper Canada, Dr. Mac- 

 donald, declared that, to his own knowledge, 

 Mrs. Fraser of Culbokie possessed MS. copies°of 

 several of Ossian's poems long before they were 

 published by Macpherson. Also that the said 

 lady lent these to Macpherson, but he never re- 

 turned them. F. C. H. 



Armorial (Vol. xi., p. 87.). — The following may 

 chance to be of use to P. P m : 



Vert, a griffin segreant or. Collins. 

 Azure, a griffin segreant or. Poltimore. 

 Gules, a griffin segreant or. Redvers. 

 Or, a griffin segreant sable. Morgan. 

 Argent, a chevron azure between three bugle- 

 horns sable. Basset and Cornu. 



The families all of Devonshire. J. D. S. 



Books chained in Churches, Sfc. (Vol. x., p. 393.), 

 — Luther "found in the convent a Bible fastened 

 by a chain, and to this chained Bible he was con- 

 tinually returning." (D'Aubigne, b. ii. c. iii.) 



B. H. C. 



"The woodville sung," S)-c. (Vol. xi., p. 87.) — 

 The lines quoted are the second stanza of the 

 ballad " Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne," in 

 Ritson's Robin Hood. The name of the bird is 

 there spelt " woodweele," which approaches the 

 spelling in Chaucer : 



" And alpes, finches, and wodewales 

 That in their swete song deliteu." 



And again : 



" With chalanndre and with wodewale, 

 With finch, with larke, and with archangel." 

 The Romaunt of the Rose. 



Woodwale (probably from tvood and A.-S. zaZaH, 

 to sing) is said by the glossarists to be the Golden 

 Oriole; and Pennant (Brit. Birds), citing Wilson's 

 Ornith., gives witwal as one of the names for that 

 bird ; but it is so rare in this country, only some 

 half-dozen specimens being recorded by ornitho- 

 logists, that it may well be doubted if it is the 

 bird referred to. Besides, the oriole is not a song- 

 bird, though " its note is loud." 



The lines of the ballad well describe the habit 

 of the missel-thrush ; but perhaps the woodlark is 

 meant, one of our finest songsters, but not alluded 

 to under that name by any of our early poets. 

 The glossarists explain the other birds mentioned 

 by Chaucer as follows : -4Zpe, bulfinch ; Chalundre, 

 goldfinch ; and Archangel, titmouse. 



Reference to Ritson's Robin Hood suggests a 

 note or two. In the ballad above mentioned oc- 

 curs the following parallel with Byron : 



" He that had neyther beene kythe nor kin, 

 Might have seen a full fair fight," &c. 



" By Heaven ! it is a splendid sight to see 

 (For one that hath no friend, no brother there) 

 Their various arms that glitter in the air." 



Childe Harold, Canto I. St. 40. 



In the ballad entitled " The Noble Fisherman," 

 St. 2., occurs : 



" When the lily leaf and the elephant 

 Doth bud and spring with a merry cheere." 



Of course elephant is an error, which neither Rit- 

 son nor later editors can rectify. I would suggest 

 that the original was elechamp for elecampane 

 (Inula Helenium), a large showy plant, a decoc- 

 tion of whose root is a well-known specific for 

 coughs, Eden Warwick. 



Birmingham. 



Sandbanks (Vol. xi., p. 37,). — Surely T. J. 

 Bdckton cannot be serious in proposing to ascer- 

 tain the age (!) of a river, of the Nile, of the 

 Ganges, of the Danube, But assuming he is, are 

 the tides of the sea and river so accurately ad- 

 justed that the average deposit on the bar or sand- 

 bank of one year must exactly equal that of 

 every other year ? I fear his note is a too palpable 

 eflfort to impose on our innocent credulity. 



y. s. M. 



