One evening as he was proceeding to sea "raither hingen-heedit" (with hanging head), the woman in whose house he was lodging, without saying a word to him, threw the beesom (the broom) after him. That night a good fishing was made. J. Watt told one of the crew (a hired man) what had been done. His remark was: "That's fat (what) did it. Tell 'er t' dee 't (do it) again. (Crovie.)
The same custom holds round the coast.
Another custom to secure a fishing, if it is poor during the herring season, is to throw a handful of salt after the skipper, or any of the crew, as he is leaving the house, or to throw salt over the boat. (Portessie.)
The Haddock, &c.
The black spots on the shoulders of the haddock are called Peter's spots, and it is believed by some fishermen (Crovie) that no one can grasp and hold the fish in the same way. My informant told me he had often tried to do so, and seen others do the same, but to no purpose. The fish slipped from the fingers.
Here are two variants of the haddock rhyme:—
"Roast me weel, an boil me weel,
Bit dinna burn ma beens,
Than ye'll never wint me aboot yir hearth-steens."
And—
"Roast me an boil me weel,
An dinna burn ma beens,
An a'll come t' yir fireside aftner nor eens (once)."[1] (Portessie.)
Here follows something of a contest between the herring and the flounder or fleuk:—
The herrin' said she wiz the king o' the sea, but the fleuk turnt her moo, an' said she wis 't.
And—
"She thrawd her moo, says she,
Faht (what) am I tee,
Fin (when) the herrin's the king o' the sea?" (Portessie.)
