Scope and Contents Notebook belonging to Alexander Carmichael containing songs, poems, tales, names, vocabulary and expressions collected in the Outer Hebrides [Na h-Eileanan an Iar]. The first part of the volume contains transcriptions taken as Carmichael listened to informants in 1877 while the second part appears to be copies of previous transcriptions of material collected by Carmichael and Rev Malcolm MacPhail in 1874 and written into the notebook in 1891. Amongst the material is a version of the lament...

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Story collected from Iain MacLeod, crofter, Bhaltos [Bhaltos/Valtos, Eilean Leòdhais /Isle of Lewis] about a delicate man from Bearnaraidh Bheag [Bearnaraigh Bheag/Little Bernera, Eilean Leòdhais /Isle of Lewis] called Lachlan mac Iain 'ic Tharmaid 'ic Aonghais Mhòir. A man met the fairies and spoke to them in many languages but the one they understood was Gaelic. The man asked if Lachlan was theirs and the fairies said that he was and took him into the fairy hill.

Scope and Contents Story entitled 'Sithichean Cnoc Na Connlaich' about a man who when passing between two hills in the middle of the night while carrying straw hears a voice calling him from one hill telling him to leave the fodder and a voice from the other hill telling him not to, 'A mhic Dhomhaill Ghlais cha'n fhag tu am fodar am fad agus a bhitheas uiread leat agus a tha na d'aghaidh agus fear/duine a bharrachd!' [Son of Gray Donald, don't leave the straw so long as there are as many for you as there are...

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Story entitled 'Daoine Sith-Sithichean' collected from Iain MacLeod, crofter, Bhaltos [Bhaltos/Valtos, Eilean Leòdhais /Isle of Lewis] in which the fairies have stolen a child and left a changeling in its place. The changeling is left at the boundary between two townships and the fairies then replace it with the real child. Iain MacLeòid [John MacLeod] saw this being done.

Scope and Contents Story entitled 'A Bhean Nighe' about a washer-woman encountered at Lochan Dubh na Beinne by Iain Bàn Tàillear. He seizes her by her left hand and demands wealth which she grants but asks why he did not ask for children his response to which is to ask for them too but she says no and that he will never have an heir. Everything happens as the washer-woman predicted. He asks what she is washing and she tells him that she is washing the shirts of people who will drown this year in North Tolsta...

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Story entitled 'A Phiob Shith' which tells of lively piping songs which can often be heard coming from fairy hills, one of which is given, beginning 'Am faic thu Nic dhuinn leis a chrodh laoigh'.

Scope and Contents Story entitled 'Daoine Sith' collected from Cairiseadar [Cairisiadar/Carishader, Eilean Leòdhais /Isle of Lewis] about a man who gets help from the fairies to build his house but then runs out of work for them. On the advice of an old man he suggests they make roof couples for each end of the house out of fiodhag (wild fig or wild cherry) but the fairies refuse. He then asks them to make rope the thickness of a thumb from clean sand to hold down the thatch and they fail to do this. The...

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Story entitled 'Na Sithich A Treabhadh' about the fairies helping a man with his agricultural work. The fairies take every sguab (sheaf of corn) as wages. A man sitting on a small sheaf (raoid) sees a fairy going past without a sheaf and throws his after him. The story is the origin of the saying 'Cho lion'ar ri muinntir Fhionnlaidh'.

Scope and Contents Story entitled 'Sitheach an sliochd Leanabh Beag' about two women whose children had been swapped with fairy children. The first would not stop eating or drinking or crying, so on the advice of an old woman she threw the child in the river. The instant she did that her own child came back. The second woman's fairy child would not stop crying and was not growing. She told the child she was tired of him and he replied that if she kept it a secret he would give her a rest and do some dancing...

Scope and Contents Story entitled 'Sithichean Cnoc-mor Arnoil' about a family who share a cooking pot with their fairy neighbours. When the fairies have the pot and the mortal family want to use it they recite a poem which begins 'Dlithe gobha gual'. On one occasion the woman forgets to repeat the words and the fairies do not bring the pot back so she goes to the fairy hill and takes it. As she is leaving the fairy hill one of the fairies calls to her with a curse beginning 'A bhean balbh a bhean balbh'. When...