University of Edinburgh Archive and Manuscript Collections

Custom probably collected from Duncan Cameron, police officer, Tobar Mhoire/Tobermory, Muile/Isle of Mull, for repelling the neas [stoat] from calves stating that as stoats hate the smell of burning, people burn the tail and leg of a new calf or old leather.

Story about a deformed calf which tells how Captain Macasgail [MacAskill] at Calgary [Calgarraidh, Am Muile/Isle of Mull] would not allow a calf born with two heads and eight legs to be killed and so had it buried alive. The raoic [bellow] which the calf made echoed around the glen and frightened people.

Vocabulary note probably collected from Duncan Cameron, police officer, Tobar Mhoire/Tobermory, Muile/Isle of Mull, for 'Seamalach' and 'caraideachadh' describing the former as a heifer whose calf had died and the latter as when the calf of one cow is killed, its tail is cut off and tied to a [cloth] and placed on another calf which can then suckle both cows.