dried. On the wall hung a straw mat, called a flakkie, on which the corn was winnowed after being thrashed, and to separate the dumba before being ground. In the barn also was the hand-mill (Fig. 11), resting on a rude table called a looder. This mill was and still is chiefly used for grinding burstin (corn dried in a kettle over the fire). Well-made bere burstin

makes delicious bread.

In the corner of the butt-end lay the knockin' stane and mell, for the purpose of shelling bere, or barley, as a delicacy for helly days and Sunday dinners. At the burn close by stood the water-mill (Fig. 12), on which the crop was ground during the yarrowin. The mill was driven by a rude, horizontal water-wheel, called a tirl. Over the "eye" of the mill was suspended an apparatus through which the corn passed, consisting of a happer, shö, and klapper. In a corner of the looder stood a toyeg (a small straw basket), containing as much corn as would be a hurd o'

burstin. This was the annual offering to the Water Neugle, in order to insure the good services of his godship. When this was neglected, the Neugle would sometimes grasp the tirl and stop the mill, and could only be dislodged by dropping a firebrand down by the lightnin' tree. The ground meal was sifted in sieves made of sheep-skin, fastened tightly round a hoop or rim, and perforated with red-hot revatwirries (straightened out fish hooks). When sifted, the meal fell into three divisions-meal, groats, and ootsiftins, from the last of which that delicious food called sooans, and that healthy tonic beverage known as swats, are made.

In the yard near the stiggie was often to be seen a small skroo of corn, standing apart from the rest. This was the annual offering set apart to Broonie, a household deity whose good services were thus secured, particularly in protecting the corn yard and thatch roofs during the storms of winter. No article of clothing

was ever devoted to this imaginary being, for

"When Broonie got a cloak or hood,
He did his master nae mair good."

One of the most interesting appendages of the croft was the sheep krö. Here lads and lasses met to roo the sheep and mark the lambs, and sometimes in scarce years to kavel the lambs. The krö is a small round enclosure into which sheep are driven, and to facilitate the driving small branch dykes run out in two directions from the krö. These were termed soadin or rexter dykes, and sometimes steugies. In the kro the uniformity of colour observable in other flocks is wanting. Here is a blending of numerous shades, black, white, brown, and grey being the most common, while there is a sprinkling of blyeag (dirty white), shaela (steel gray), moorit (the colour of brown peat), and catmuggit (having the belly of a different colour). Everyone knew his own marks cut in their ears.

sheep by the

No two persons

could have the same mark. If anyone got a lamb from another, an oobregd (off-break) mark must be put thereon. The various sheep marks had names by which they were known, bits, crooks, fidders, and shöls indicating different cuts in the ear. The people were constantly among the hills tending their sheep and kyndin the cows; and there was scarcely a spot that was not called by some appropriate name of Norse origin, such beautiful characteristic names as Grunna Blaet (the green spot), Swarta Blaet (the black or dark spot), Gulla Hammar (the yellow rocks), Rora Klaet (the red rocks). Many others might be named. Animals too had names, generally derived from their colour, such as Sholma (white face), Sponga (spotted), Greema (white spotted on the cheeks), Rigga (having a stripe running along the back), Cullya (polled), etc. These names all end in a, and denote the feminine gender. The masculine of animal names ended in i or e.