Transactions. 1 5 



" Sports and Pastimes " is the probable one — that it means tlie 

 promiscuous mingling of master and servants at the same table. 

 Strutt adds — " Probably the mell and the churn supper originated 

 from the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles." The association of a 

 kirn with churning arose from the circumstance that there was 

 always a churning in a farm house before any large supper, in 

 order to provide " Cream crowdie," i.e., cream with oatmeal. 

 There was generally a family tea in the house before the supper 

 in the barn, so that its inmates might give their whole attention 

 to the guests at the kirn. The farmer, also, always paid his 

 liarvesters their wages before the kirn began, so that they might 

 have their minds more free for enjoyment. The kirn was 

 generally held some days before Hallowe'en, but, as the poet 

 Burns has recorded, it sometimes took place that night in con- 

 sequence of a late harvest. 



Ae hairst afore the Slierra-Moor, 



I mind as weel's yestreen ; 

 I was a gilpey then — I'm sure 



I wasna past fifteen. 



The simmer had been cauld an' wat, 



An' stuff was unco green, 

 But aye a rantin kirn we gat, 



An' just on Hallowe'en 

 It fell that nicht. 



Sir Walter Scott mentions that he regularly attended the kirns 

 of his neighbour, " Laird Nippy," and that he always himself 

 gave a kirn, which Lockhart thus describes. " Every November 

 before quitting the country for Edinburgh Sir Walter gave a 

 harvest-home on the most approved model of former days to all 

 the peasantry on his estate, their friends and kindred, and as 

 many poor neighbours as his barn could hold. Here old and 

 young danced from sunset to sunrise — John of Skye's bagpipe 

 being relieved at intervals by the violin of some ' Wandering 

 Willie ' — and the laird and all his family were present durin" the 

 early part of the evening, he and his wife to distribute the con- 

 tents of the first tub of whisky punch, and his young people to 

 take their due share in the endless reels and hornpipes of the 

 earthen floor." It was the custom in Scotland towards the end 

 of the reaping to leave a small sheave standing — called the maiden 



