attractive to lightning than any others? and the reason, because the
surface of the ground around is drier than round other trees?

C. S. W.

_Symbol of Sow, &c._--A sow suckled by a litter of young pigs is a common
representation carved on the bosses of the roofs of churches. What is this
symbolical of?

F. G. C.

Ottery St. Mary.

_Passage in Blackwood._--

"I sate, and wept in secret the tears that men have ever given _to the
memory of those that died before the dawn_, and by the treachery of
earth our mother."--_Blackwood's Magazine_, December, 1849, p. 72., 3rd
line, second column.

Will some of your readers give information respecting the above words in
Italic?

D. N. O.

_Rathband Family._--Can any of your readers assist me in distinguishing
between the several members of this clerical family, which flourished
during the period of the Commonwealth, and immediately preceding? From
Palmer's _Nonconformist Mem._ (vol. i. p. 520.), there was a Mr. William
Rathband, M.A., ejected from Southwold, a member of Oxford University, who
was brother to Mr. Rathband, sometime preacher in the Minster of York, and
son of an old Nonconformist minister, Mr. W. Rathband, who wrote against
the Brownists.--I should feel obliged by any information which would
identify them with the livings they severally held.

OLIVER.

_Encaustic Tiles from Caen._--In the town of Caen, in Normandy, is an
ancient Gothic building standing in the grounds of the ancient convent of
the Benedictines, now used as a college. This building, which is commonly
known as the "Salle des Gardes de Guillaume le Conquerant," was many years
ago paved with glazed emblazoned earthenware tiles, which were of the
dimensions of about five inches square, and one and a quarter thick; the
subjects of them are said to be the arms of some of the chiefs who
accompanied William the Conqueror to England. Some antiquaries said these
tiles were of the age of William I.; others that they could only date from
Edward III. I find it stated in the _Gentleman's Magazine_ for March, 1789,
vol. lix. p. 211., that twenty of the tiles above spoken of were taken up
by the Benedictine monks, and sent as a present to Charles Chadwick, Esq.,
Healey Hall, Lancashire, in 1786. The rest of the tiles were destroyed by
the revolutionists, with the exception of some which were fortunately saved
by the Abbe de la Rue and M. P. A. Lair, of Caen. What I wish to inquire
is,