Thanks MMario. Richard W, you'll be interested to know I got a prompt reply from Mike Ballantyne. He emailed: Dear Jay, I sent your query to our Editor, who is Scottish, and the following information is based upon his answer to me. The fragment is supposedly the opening of the Scottish ballad, 'The Ghaist's Warning.' We can't find the song referred to so we still have to confirm this. As for the Motif, E323.1.2. would appear to be an appropriate number, at least until we confirm the rest of the ballad's content. We will stay glued to this on your behalf...Murray Shoolbraid (our editor) is at . Best regards, Mike Ballantyne President (& Web Master)" How about that for a serious reply. I'm off to the libraries tomorrow. "The Ghaist's Warning" rings a bell for some reason. May be I passed it by on a wrong turn with all this before. Apparently there's mention of it in Robert Louis Stevenson's "Weir of Hermiston." Anyway, thanks again to all.