R.T.  HAMPSON

    [1] “La precieuse geographie d’Alfred, roi d’Angleterre.”—­Le
    Comte J. Graeberg. La Scandinavie Vengee, p. 36.

    [2] Cotton MSS., Tiberius, b. i. fol. 12b.

    [3] Transl. of Orosius, p. 8.

    [4] Inaugural Lecture, p. 72.

    [5] Vita Karoli Magni, ann. 789.

[6] “Sunt et alii Slavorum populi qui inter Albiam et Oderam degunt, sicut Heveldi, qui juxta Haliolam fluvium, et Doxani, Liubuzzi, Wilini, et Stoderani, cum multis aliis.”—­Hist.  Eccl. p. 47, 48.

    [7] Annales Sangall.  Brev., ann. 789.—­Ann.  Lauresham, &c.

    [8] Vit.  Kar.  Mag. and Annal.  Francor., ann. 822.

    [9] Annal.  Petav., ann 789.

    [10] Chron.  Slavorum, l. i, c. 2.

* * * * *

FOLK LORE.

Omens from Cattle.—­I forward to you a Note, which, many years ago, I inserted in my interleaved Brand’s Observations on Popular Antiquities, vol. ii. p. 519. 4to., in the hope that, as the subject interested me then, it may not prove uninteresting to some now:—­

    “A bad omen seems to be drawn from an ox or cow breaking into
    a garden.  Though I laugh at the superstition, the omen was
    painfully fulfilled in my case.

“About the middle of March, 1843, some cattle were driven close to my house; and, the back door being open, three got into our little bit of garden, and trampled it.  When our school-drudge came in the afternoon, and asked the cause of the confusion, she expressed great sorrow and apprehension on being told—­said it was a bad sign—­and that we should hear of three deaths within the next six months.  Alas! in April, we heard of dear J——­’s murder; a fortnight after, A——­ died; and to-morrow, August 10th, I am to attend the funeral of my excellent son-in-law.

    “I have just heard of the same omen from another quarter.”

This was added the next day:—­

“But what is still more remarkable is, that when I went down to Mr. ——­’s burial, and was mentioning the superstition, they told me that, while he was lying ill, a cow got into the front garden, and was driven out with great difficulty.”

L.S.

The Horse’s Head—­Rush-bearings.—­The account of the Welch custom of the “Grey Mare” in a late Number reminded me of something very similar in Cheshire.  In the parish of Lynn it is customary, for a week or ten days before the 5th {259} of November, for the skeleton of a horse’s head, dressed up with ribbons, &c., having glass eyes inserted in the sockets, and mounted on a short pole by way of handle, to be carried by a man underneath, covered with a horse-cloth.  There is generally a chain