138 THE HOME OF A NATURALIST. 



hearthstane and saying some words ; but we never got 

 to ken what it was he said." 



Thammasmass e'en was five nights before Yule-day, 

 and this evening was supposed to be peculiarly holy. 

 No work of any kind was done after day- set, and — 

 unlike all other evenings of Yuletide — no amusements 

 were allowed. The smallest deviation from what was 

 considered orthodox on this occasion was sure to bring 

 bad luck. 



" The very babe unborn 

 Cries oh dul 1 dul ! (Dul, dole, sorrow) 

 For the breaking o' Thammasmas nicht, 

 Five nichts afore Yule." 



The Sunday preceding Yule-day was called Byana's 

 Sunday. That evening half a cow's head was boiled 

 and eaten for supper. The fat skimmed off the water 

 was made, with burstin (a kind of oatmeal) into brose. 

 The skull was carefully cleaned, a candle stuck in the 

 eye-socket, and then it was set aside for use later in 

 the season. Yule e'en was the great time of pre- 

 paration for the crowning festival of alL Though the 

 family might be very poor indeed, they always con- 

 trived to have a piece of "flesh-meat" to cook on 

 Yule e'en. 



After the ordinary bread was baked, a round oat- 

 cake was kneaded for each child, differing in size as 

 the young ones differed in age. These cakes were 

 pinched into points round the outer eflge, and a hole 

 was made in the centre, and they were named empha- 

 tically the Yule-cakes. I do not doubt that some 



