After the blizzard that swamped the West Country last week something peculiar appeared in Woolsery, North Devon. Strange V-shaped footprints in the snow were arranged as if made by a two-legged creature - definitely not a person. The tracks petered out at a hedge, so perhaps it was a rabbit or hare.

The story was reminiscent of the Devil's Footprints, which appeared after a heavy snowfall on the night of February 8, 1855. "Considerable sensation has been caused in the towns of Topsham, Lympstone, Exmouth, Teignmouth and Dawlish, in the south of Devon, in consequence of the discovery of a vast number of foot-tracks of a most strange and mysterious description," reported The Times. "The footprints were to be seen in all kinds of unaccountable places - on the tops of houses and narrow walls, in gardens and courtyards, enclosed by high walls and palings, as well as in open fields."

The marks were roughly 2in wide, several inches apart and the tracks reached for more than 100 miles on a fairly straight course. Explanations included a hopping rodent or even a kangaroo, and there were rumours that they were made by the Devil. "Many superstitious people in the towns are actually afraid to go outside their doors after night," added The Times.