"The Beech Marten does sometimes, in the Highlands of Scotland, where it is common, and called Tuggin, take to killing lambs, and makes sad havoc. Luckily, however, it is nearly exterminated in the south of that country. In Selkirkshire, it has been observed to descend to the shore at night time to feed upon mollusks, particularly upon the large Basket Mussel (Mytilus modiolus). But the ordinary prey of both this and the Pine Marten appears to the hares, rabbits, squirrels, moles, rats, mice; game birds; turkeys, pigeons, and other domestic poultry, and also the wild singing birds."—P. 109.
In the above work Mr. Fennell has given many other interesting zoological elucidations of Shakspeare, and of various other ancient poets.
G. Tennyson.
Rickmansworth.
St. Paul's School Library (Vol. viii., p. 641.).—A catalogue of the library was privately printed in 1836, 8vo. It is nominally under the care of the captain of the school, who, having his own duties to attend to, cannot be expected to pay much attention to it: this readily accounts for the disorder said to prevail.
It is believed to contain the copy of Vegetius de re militari, the perusal of which by Marlborough, when a pupil at the school, imbued him with that love for military science he in after-life so successfully cultivated.
It would be a good deed on the part of the wealthy company, the trustees of Colet's noble foundation, to enlarge the library and pay a salary to a librarian; it might thus become a useful appendage to the school, and under certain regulations be made accessible to the vicinity.
W. A.
German Tree (Vol. viii., p. 619.).—In answer to the inquiry of Zeus, who wishes to be informed whether this custom was known in England previous to 1836, I beg to refer him to Coleridge's Friend, second landing-place, essay iii. (vol. ii.
p. 249.), entitled "Christmas within doors in the north of Germany." The passage (apparently from Coleridge's journal) is dated "Ratzeburg, 1799." It is, I think, also extracted in Knight's Half-hours with the best Authors. Coleridge went to Germany in 1798 (Biog. Lit., vol. i. p. 211. note); but I imagine the passage I refer to did not appear till 1818, when The Friend was published in three volumes (Biog. Lit., vol. ii. p. 420.). As the book is so common, I do not think it worth while to copy out the account. Zeus has by this time, I hope, had a Christmas Yggdrasil in his Olympus.