An interesting and seemingly well-researched excerpt referring to Scott's system of story sticks may be found here, but without a source reference for this particular information:

"As a boy, youth and young man, Scott was fascinated by the oral traditions of the Scottish Borders. He was an obsessive collector of stories, and developed an innovative method of recording what he heard at the feet of local story-tellers using carvings on twigs, to avoid the disapproval of those who believed that such stories were neither for writing down nor for printing."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Scott


Might you find aid here? http://www.walterscott.lib.ed.ac.uk/