620 REPORT—1896. 
he was sowing the seed, a member of the family would die before that time 
next year. 
98. Mochrum.—The reapers, when ‘ shearing,’ would not allow a woman 
to put off her bonnet and ‘shear’ with bare head. If a woman did so, 
one of the reapers would soon cut his (her) fingers. 
99. Minnigaf—When a young horse was taken to the smithy to 
receive the first shoes, whisky was carried by the one that took the animal 
to the smithy. When the first nail was driven into the first shoe, the 
smith and any others that might be present were treated with a glass each. 
100. Port William, Mochrum.—An old blacksmith told me that it was 
the custom to give the smith a glass of whisky when he had finished 
putting on the first shoe of the first set of shoes of a young horse. 
101. Minnigagi—oOn the first day of April jokes used to be played. 
One would pretend to send a letter to a friend, and the ene on whom the 
joke was to be played was asked to carry it. The victim, suspecting nothing, 
took the letter and carried it. All that the letter contained was, ‘Send 
the gowck another mile,’ and this might sometimes be done. 
102. Minnigaff-—On Halloween a dish of mashed potatoes—‘beetlt 
praties’—was prepared. Into it were put a ring, a sixpenny piece, and a 
button. The dish was stirred in the form of the figure 8. The household 
partook all together of the dish. 
103. Minnigaff-—There existed at one time in the parish of Minnigaff 
a Hell-fire Club. The members used to meet at Creeton. On one occasion 
they celebrated the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper by giving the bread 
and wine to their dogs. The room in which this profanation took place 
was afterwards haunted. All the members died untimely deaths. 
104. Minnigaff—lIf a fire was kept constantly burning for a period of 
years, a beast grew at the back of it. Such was the case with the fire of a 
woman called Nelly Coull. that lived at Corbreknowe or Cordorkan. 
105. Minnigafi—Over the river Penkiln there is a bridge not far 
above the point where it joins the Cree. It is called Queen Mary’s Bridge. 
It consists of two arches. The middle pier rests on a rock. On the top 
of this rock is a round hole like a small cauldron. It is a custom to 
take three stones, to form a ‘silent wish,’ and to lean over the parapet, 
and drop the stones, the one after the other, into the hole. If the stones 
fall into it, the wish will be fulfilled. 
106. Minnigaff:—Children’s Hogmanay rhyme :— 
Rise, guidwife, an shake your feathers ; 
Dinna think that we are beggars, 
Boys and girls come out to play, 
To seek our Hogmanay. 
Gin ve dinna gee’s our Hogmanay, 
We dunner a yer doors the day. 
107. Inch.—Everything was made ready for the New Year’s welcome. 
Oaten cakes had been baked ; and a haggis had been cooked, and was 
served cold. The ‘first fit’ got a ‘farle o’ bread’ and a slice of the cold 
haggis. 
108. Minnigaffi—A cake of flour with dried fruit is made by each 
household. It is of a round shape. It is baked in a pot. 
109. Minnigaff-—A day or two before Hogmanay a haggis has been 
cooked and set aside to cool. On Hogmanay it is laid out on a table with a 
knife beside it. When the ‘first fit’ has finished his congratulations he 
