'Masquerade' hare unearthed in park

A treasure hunt that baffled thousands of people for nearly three years is over. The Golden Hare of Masquerade has been found - by a man whose dog led him to a stone that held a key clue.

The Sunday Times reported a used car salesman discovered the 8-inch golden, jewel-studded hare in a park in Ampthill, 40 miles north of London.

The hare was the prize in a best-selling children's book, ''Masquerade,'' a lavishly illustrated fable. Author Kit Williams made the fable into a treasure hunt by inserting clues about a model of the hare mentioned in the story, which he had buried in a secret location.

The hare was discovered in the shadow of an ancient cross commemorating Catherine of Aragon, one of the eight wives of King Henry VIII. One of the major clues in the book pointed to Catherine of Aragon.