I had the account from an old man between eighty and ninety years of age, clerk of the parish; and my friend Miss Mitford agreed with me in the accuracy of the story: she had it from the late Countess Dowager of Macclesfield, an old lady celebrated for her extensive and accurate knowledge of legendary lore.
In opening a vault in St. Mary's, Reading, last year, her coffin was found entire, with this inscription:
"Frances Child, wife of Benjamin Child. Esq., of Calcot, and first daughter of Sir Benjamin Kendrick, Bart. Died Feb. 27, 1722, aged 35. The Lady of Berks."
Another coffin,—
"Benjamin Child, Esq., died 2nd May, 1767, aged 84 years."
Julia R. Bockett.
Southcote Lodge.
Mousehunt (Vol. viii., pp. 516. 606.; Vol. ix., pp. 65. 136. 385.).—In Vol. ix., p. 65., the Natural History of Quadrupeds, by James H. Fennell, is quoted; where, speaking of the Beech Marten (alias Mousehunt), he says:
"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)."
In p. 136, I ventured to state that Mr. Fennell must have been a better naturalist than geographer, as Selkirkshire was well known to be an inland county nowhere approaching the sea by many miles. I added, that I hoped, for Mr. Fennell's sake, that Selkirkshire was either a misprint or a misquotation.