_The Yew Tree in Village Churchyards._--Why did our forefathers choose the yew as the inseparable attendant upon the outer state of the churches raised by them? Apart from its grave and sombre appearance, I cannot help recognising a mysterious embodiment of the spirit of evil as the intention of the planters. We know that in all mediæval edifices there is an apparent and discernible endeavour to place in juxta-position the spirits of good and evil, to _materialise_ the idea of an adversative spirit, antagonistic to the church's teachings, and hurtful to her efforts of advancement. I look upon the grotesque cephalic corbels as one modification of this, and would interpret many equally mysterious emblems by referring them to the same actuating desire. Now the yew is certainly the most deadly of indigenous productions, and therefore would be chosen as the representative of a spirit of destruction, the opposite to one that giveth life by its teachings, of which the building itself is the sensible sign. I crave more information from some learned ecclesiologist on the subject, which is certainly a most interesting one. R. C. WARDE. Kidderminster. _Passage in Tennyson._-- "Or underneath the barren bush, Flits by _the blue seabird of March_." In _Memoriam_, xc. What bird is meant? W. T. M. Hong Kong. _"When the Maggot bites."_--A note will oblige to explain the origin of the phrase, that a thing done on the spur of the moment is done "When the maggot bites." ANON. _Eclipses of the Sun._--Where can I find a list of solar eclipses that have taken place since the time of the invasion of Julius Cæsar? I am greatly in want of this information, and shall be grateful to any correspondent who will give me the reference required. C. MANSFIELD INGLEBY. Birmingham. _"An" before "u" long._--I should be much obliged to any of my fellow-students of "N. & Q." who would answer the following Query: What is the reason of the increasingly prevailing custom of writing _an_ before words beginning with _u_ long, or with diphthongs having the sound of _u_ long? Surely a written language is perfect in proportion as it represents the spoken tongue; if so, this is one of the many instances in which modern fashions are making English orthography still more inconsistent than it was wont to be. It appears to me just as reasonable to say "_an youthful_ (pronounced _yoothful_) person," as "_an useful_ (pronounced _yooseful_) person." If there is a satisfactory reason for the practice, I shall be delighted to be corrected but, if not, I would fain see the fashion "nipped in the bud." BENJAMIN DAWSON. London.