When I did a quick scan of Buchans B.A. yesterday three names jumped out at me:---
[1] Whiteford.
[2] Morton]
[3] Ayr.

The Whitefords were an old Ayrshire family. Until the time of Burns their home was the estate of Ballochmyle near Mauchline.      Burns"s song "The Bonnie Lass O Ballochmyle" was composed in honour of a daughter of the Alexander family, the successor owners of Ballochmyle.

The beautiful Miss Morton was one of the ",Belles of Mauchline", celebrated by Burns in his poem of that name.---"There"s Beauty And Fortune To Get Wi Miss Morton".

Ayr is of course the county town of Ayrshire, the home to all the people mentioned above.

It may be pure coincidence but it certainly caught my attention.

Many references are made to the rural folk of Scotland having a knowledge of the works of Burns in a very short time after the publication and being a small country I am sure Buchan would not be behindhand with his knowledge of these works.