Bonfires, blackbirds and the bishop’s baby

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jul/13/bonfires-blackbirds-and-the-bishops-baby

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You report the remains of a premature baby found in the coffin of a 17th-century bishop in Sweden (Report, 22 June). When I worked briefly in the Hammersmith hospital in west London in the early 1980s, a long-serving assistant in the pathology department told me that it had long been customary for the bodies of stillborn babies to be placed in the coffins of adults who died in the hospital. This was done without the knowledge of the families of either party. He did add, however, that it was always a woman’s coffin.Julia TwiggProfessor of social policy and sociology, University of Kent

• We can do without any snide comments about Andy Murray’s supposed lack of charm (Opinion, 11 July). Some of the worst dictators have oozed charm. Having it may be an advantage in life, but not something individuals should be valued for. In any case, Murray is perfectly charming. Alastair Mcleish Edinburgh

• In the 1980s I was writing a song called Freight Train for my indie band, Helen and the Horns, (not the Elizabeth Cotton song) but was stuck for a solo for the Horns, when outside my bedsit in Willesden a blackbird piped up with a perfectly formed melody that fitted exactly (Letters, passim). I have never been able to trace the bird to pay him his share of the royalties.Helen McCallumLondon

• Monday’s double-page picture (Eyewitness, 13 July) shows a vast bonfire in Belfast to mark the anniversary of the battle of the Boyne, which is, and has been for many years, a dramatic example of man’s willingness to damage our environment. The effect of such fires must be considerable. Could you please challenge the failure of Northern Ireland’s environment minister to do his job? Daniel McdowellLudlow, Shropshire

• Only nine years to Pluto (Too small to be a planet, 11 July)? Isn’t it time Nasa took over Network Rail?Caroline ReayLondon