FOOTNOTES:

FOOTNOTES:[91]Scogan's choiceis equivalent toHobson's choice; both are heroes of old jest-books.[92]The game is called "Le Chevalier Gentil," and proceeds thus: "Bon jour, chevalier gentil, toujours gentil; moi chevalier gentil, toujours gentil, je viens de la part du chevalier gentil, toujours gentil (so designating the left-hand neighbor) vous dire qu'il y a un aigle à bec d'or, à pattes d'argent," etc. A player who misses receives "un petit cornet de papier," and is known as "chevalier cornu, biscornu," etc., or "damoiselle cornette à tant de cornes."[93]A French catch: "J'ai monté un escalier." "Comme moi." "Je suis entré dans la chambre." "Comme moi." "J'ai vu une petite boîte." "Comme moi." "Je l'ai ouverte." "Comme moi." "Il y avait une grosse bête." "Comme moi."[94]Or, as played by the children from whom this version was obtained,Old mother Cripsy-crops. The name "Tipsy-toe" is derived from the limping gait supposed to belong to witches. See No. 154, C.

[91]Scogan's choiceis equivalent toHobson's choice; both are heroes of old jest-books.

[92]The game is called "Le Chevalier Gentil," and proceeds thus: "Bon jour, chevalier gentil, toujours gentil; moi chevalier gentil, toujours gentil, je viens de la part du chevalier gentil, toujours gentil (so designating the left-hand neighbor) vous dire qu'il y a un aigle à bec d'or, à pattes d'argent," etc. A player who misses receives "un petit cornet de papier," and is known as "chevalier cornu, biscornu," etc., or "damoiselle cornette à tant de cornes."

[93]A French catch: "J'ai monté un escalier." "Comme moi." "Je suis entré dans la chambre." "Comme moi." "J'ai vu une petite boîte." "Comme moi." "Je l'ai ouverte." "Comme moi." "Il y avait une grosse bête." "Comme moi."

[94]Or, as played by the children from whom this version was obtained,Old mother Cripsy-crops. The name "Tipsy-toe" is derived from the limping gait supposed to belong to witches. See No. 154, C.

"As boys, when they play at 'how many,' hold out their hands in such a way that, having few, they pretend to have many, and having many, they make believe to have few."—Xenophon,Treatise on the Duties of a Cavalry Officer.

A small number of beans or other counters are held in the hand, and the question is, Odd or Even? If the guess is even, and the true number odd, it is said "Give me one to make it odd," andvice versâ. The game is continued until all the counters belong to one or other of the two players.

This amusement was familiar in ancient Greece and Rome, as it is in modern Europe. In the classic game the player gained or lost as many as he held in his hand.

This game is played by three, four, or more, who stand in a circle. A child then addresses his left-hand neighbor, and the dialogue is:

"Hul Gul.""Hands full.""Parcel how many?"

The second player then guesses the number, two guesses being sometimes allowed. If, for example, the guess is five, and the real number seven, the first responds, "Give me two to make it seven," and so on until allthe counters have been gained by one player. The number allowed to be taken is often limited, by agreement, to six or ten.

The counters are beans, grains of corn, marbles, nuts, and, in the South,chinquapins.[95]

A childish trick is to expand the hand as if unable to hold the number of counters, when in fact they are but one or two. Oddly enough, this same device is alluded to by Xenophon as in use in his day in the game of "How many?"—the classic equivalent of our game, in which the question was, "How many have I in the hand?" just as we say, "Parcel how many?" So, in these sports, the interval of two thousand years vanishes.

A child hides his head on another's lap, and guesses the number of fingers raised. We find a rhyme for this given in the "Girls' Own Book."

"Mingledy, mingledy, clap, clap, clap,How many fingers do I hold up?""Three.""Three you said, and two it was," etc.

Another form of this game consists in schoolboys mounting on each other's back and raising fingers, of which the number is to be guessed. The English formula for this purpose is given by Tylor thus, "Buck, buck, how many horns do I hold up?" We are not aware that the practice continues to exist in this country.

In the famous finger-game of "Morra," the sum of the fingers raised by the two players is counted. The game is played with such rapidity, and the calling is so rapid, that conjecture plays a larger part in the game than eyesight. "Morra" has been a favorite for nearly four thousand years, for it is represented on early Egyptian monuments, where the players are depicted as using the right hand, and scoring with the left, very much as is done in the south of Europe at the present day.

It is very likely, however, that the nursery usage we are now concernedwith is as old. Petronius Arbiter, in the time of Nero, describes Trimalchio as so playing with a boy. The latter, mounting as on horseback, smote his shoulders with the open hand, and laughing said, "Bucca, bucca, how many?"[96]

We will not undertake to decide whether the reported coincidence of the Latin and English formulas is a genuine example of transmission. The game, however, and the question, "How many?" have certainly endured for two thousand years, and very likely existed as long before the days of Petronius, or from a time as remote as that to which can be traced the more complicated game of "Morra."

A common way of deciding a dispute, selecting players, or determining who shall begin a game, is to take a pebble or other object in the closed fist, and make a comrade guess in which hand it is contained.

The old-fashioned way of holding the hands, both in England and Germany, was to place one fist on top of the other; and a like usage formerly prevailed in New England, though we have not met with the English rhyme:

Handy-dandy riddledy ro,Which will you have, high or low?

A child takes a bean in the hand, closes it, and asks a companion to guess under which finger it lies; if the latter fails, he must pay a bean.

A simple guessing-game, familiar to children in New England. One child of the party says to another, "It comes, it comes." The player addressed replies, "What do you come by?" The first replies by naming the initial letter of some object in the room; if, for instance, it is the table he has in mind, he says, "I come by T." The rest must now guess what thing, beginning with this letter, is meant.

The children sit in a circle, with hands closed; one takes the ring, and goes around with it, tapping the closed fists of the players as if inserting the ring, and saying:

Biddy, biddy, hold fast my gold ring,Till I go to London, and come back again.

Each child, in turn, is then required to guess who has the ring, and, if successful, takes the leader's place; if unsuccessful, he pays forfeit.

Georgia.

This is known in Massachusetts as,

Button, button, who's got the button?

Another form of the question is, "Fox, fox, who's got the box?"

In England the game goes,

My lady's lost her diamond ring,I pitch on you to find it.

A ball is concealed with some one of the children who form the circle. A girl is placed in the centre, and a dialogue ensues; the ring singing:

"My lady Queen Anne,She sits in the sun,As fair as a lily,As brown as a bun.The king sends you three letters, and bids you read one."

The girl answers:

"I cannot read one unless I read all,So pray, Mr. [or Miss] ——, deliver the ball."

If the person named has the ball, he or she takes her place; if not, she continues as before. In England, a rhyme is given for the latter case:

"The ball is mine, and none of thine,So you, proud queen, may sit on your throne,While we, your messengers, go and come."

A coin is passed about the circle, and the central player is to guess who has it. The dollar is held in the palm, then passed about the ring by each player alternately clapping his hands together, and then extending his arms so as to touch the hands of his neighbor. For this purpose the right hand should be held downward, and the left turned upward, as the arms are extended. The coin is to bepalmedfrom hand to hand, and the rhythmical motions being accompanied with song (to almost any tune) make a very pretty game, but one which requires much practice to master. The verse sung is,

Dollar, dollar, how you wander,From the one unto the other!Is it fair, is it fair,To leave Miss [Anna] so long without a chair?

Cincinnati.

The game is a modern translation from the German, presumably by the children themselves.

Among games of search may be mentioned the present, in which, the greater part of the company being sent out of the room, a thimble must be placed so as to escape notice, and yet in such a position as to be visible when the attention is once directed to it. As each of the party discovers the thimble, he indicates his success by saying "Rorum torum corum," or some such formula, and then takes his seat.

In other games, in which some small object is hidden, there are various ways of assisting the seeker when at fault; thus, it is said youfreeze, you arecold, you arewarm, youburn, according as the object is approached; or the search is directed bymagical music, which grows louder as the person comes nearer to his object. These usages belong also to other countries. More original is a practice, common in Massachusetts, according to which the height of the concealed object above the floor of the room is indicated by the words "So high water," addressed by one of the company to the person who has been sent out, as he enters and begins his search.

FOOTNOTES:[95]"Chinquapin (Castanea primula), an ovoid, pointed, sweet nut, half the size of a common chestnut."[96]"Bucca, bucca, quot sunt hic?"

[95]"Chinquapin (Castanea primula), an ovoid, pointed, sweet nut, half the size of a common chestnut."

[96]"Bucca, bucca, quot sunt hic?"

The spring clade all in gladnessDoth laugh at winter's sadness,And to the bag-pipes round,The maids tread out their ground.Fy, then, why are we musing,Youth's sweet delight refusing?Say, dainty nymph, and speak,Shall we play Barley Break?

The spring clade all in gladnessDoth laugh at winter's sadness,And to the bag-pipes round,The maids tread out their ground.

Fy, then, why are we musing,Youth's sweet delight refusing?Say, dainty nymph, and speak,Shall we play Barley Break?

Old Song.

A party of young people stand at each end of a space, such as a portico, a field, etc., and a single player is stationed in the middle. The former address the latter:

"Marlow, marlow, marlow bright,How many miles to Babylon?""Threescore and ten.""Can I get there by candlelight?""Yes, if your legs are as long as light,But take care of the old gray witch by the road-side."

The players at the ends of the field then run from side to side, and must be caught by the central player, whom they then assist to catch the rest.

Georgia.

This sport, which has been universally familiar in America, is a form of the old English game of "Barley Break," and probably the "marlow bright" of our version is a corruption of that name.

The Scotch variety given by Chambers has a very chivalric turn, whichmay give an idea of the song which must have accompanied the game in the time of Queen Elizabeth:

"King and queen of Cantelon,How many miles to Babylon?""Eight and eight, and other eight.""Will I get there by candlelight?""If your horse be good and your spurs be bright.""How many men have ye?""Mae nor ye daur come and see."

The poets of the Elizabethan age fully describe the game of "Barley Break," and seem to think it the most delightful of youthful amusements. They represent Diana and her nymphs as amusing themselves with this sport.

It appears from Sidney's description that the game was played by three couples, each of a youth and a maid, one couple standing at each end of the area, and the third remaining in the centre. The mating was determined by lot, and the last pair mated were obliged to take the central position, and saluted each other by a kiss. This pair were required to pursue with joined hands, while the others were at liberty to separate. Any maid caught replaced the maid, and any youth the youth, of the central couple. Notwithstanding the courtly nature of the sport, that its fundamental idea is the same as that of our game appears by the name of the central space, as Sidney gives it in the "Arcadia:"

Then couples three be streight allotted there,They of both ends the middle two do flie,The two that in mid-place Hell called were,Must strive with waiting foot and watching eyeTo catch of them, and them to Hell to bear,That they, as well as they, Hell may supplie.

A New England variation introduces blindfolding, thus adapting the game to a chamber. Two children are made to kneel on stools, their eyes bandaged, and the rest must run between. The dialogue is:

"How many miles to Barbary-cross?""Fourscore.""Are there any bears in the way?""Yes, a great many; take care they don't catch you!"

A hen with her brood. A child represents the "Old Buzzard," about whom the rest circle. The hen addresses the latter:

"Chickany, chickany, crany, crow.Down in the gutterTo get the hog's supper—What o'clock is it, old buzzard?"

The Buzzard, meanwhile, is busied in building up a fire with sticks, and abruptly names any hour, when the question and answer are repeated for each child of the ring, until twelve o'clock, thus—

"Half-past ten.""What o'clock is it, old buzzard?""Half-past eleven.""What o'clock is it, old buzzard?""Twelve o'clock."

The ring now halts, and the dialogue proceeds:

"Old buzzard, old buzzard, what are you doing?""Picking up sticks.""What do you want the sticks for?""To build a fire.""What are you building a fire for?""To broil a chicken.""Where are you going to get the chicken?""Out of your flock."

The Buzzard gives chase and captures a child. He brings him back, lays him down, and proceeds to dress him for dinner. All the rest stand round in admiring silence. The Buzzard asks,

"Will you be picked or scraped?"

According to the choice he proceeds as if picking the feathers of a bird or scaling a fish, and continues, with appropriate action,

"Will you be pickled or salted?""Will you be roasted or stewed?"

He drags the victim into one or another corner of the room, according to the reply, and the game proceeds as before.[97]

New England.

In the Southern States a witch takes the place of the bird of prey, and the rhyme is,

"Chickamy, chickamy, crany, crow,I went to the well to wash my toe,And when I came back my chicken was gone;What o'clock, old witch?"

The witch names any hour, and questions and answers are repeated as before, up to twelve:

"What are you doing, old witch?""I am making a fire to cook a chicken.""Where are you going to get it?""Out of your coop.""I've got the lock.""I've got the key.""Well, we'll see who will have it."

The witch tries to get past the hen, and seize the last of the line; the mother, spreading out her arms, bars the passage. The witch cries,

"I must have a chick.""You sha'n't have a chick."

Each child caught drops out, and as the line grows shorter the struggle becomes desperate.

Georgia.

This latter way of playing is the older form of the game, and is also familiar, though without words, in the North, where it is known as "Fox and Chickens."

This game is one of the most widely diffused, and the dialogue is marvellously identical, from Russia to Italy.

In Schleswig-Holstein the conversation runs thus:

"Hawk, what are you lighting?""A fire.""What is the fire for?""To make ashes.""What are the ashes for?""To sharpen a knife.""What is the knife for?""To cut off chickens' heads.""What have the chickens done?""Gone into my master's corn."

In our own country, among the Pennsylvania Germans, or, to use their own agreeable idiom, "De Pennsylfaunisch Deitsch," this game enjoys the distinction of being almost the only child's game which is accompanied by words, and is played as follows:

A boy who is digging in the earth is accosted by a second, who carries a handful of sticks, the longest of which represents the needle:

"Woy, woy, was grawbst?""Meine Moder hat erne silberne Nodel verloren.""Is sie des?""Ne.""Is sie des?""Ne.""Is sie des?""Yaw."[98]

The stooping child now rises and pursues the rest.

A similar dialogue is used for a game of chase in New York:

"Old mother, what are you looking for?""A needle.""What do you want a needle for?""To sew my bag with.""What do you want your bag for?""To keep my steel in.""What do you want your steel for?""To sharpen my knife to cut off your head."

In the same spirit, the Venetian game has:

"Sister, what are you looking for?""A knife to kill you with."

Whereupon she pursues the questioners. In this version we find also the inquiry about the hour, the putting of the pot on the fire, the searching for the knife, and final scattering.

The Finns on the Baltic coast, too, have the game in the form of a long song, beginning,

Close together! see the hawk yon!Close together! see his talons?

Which exactly corresponds to the Scotch,

Keep in, keep in, wherever ye be—The greedy gled is seeking ye!

In this game a child, usually selected by "counting out," pursues his comrades till he has caught one who must replace him. There is generally some asylum of refuge, where the pursued are safe.

The original form of this game seems to have been "Iron Tag," or "Tag on Iron," once universal in the United States, and still here and there played. In Germany and Italy, also, this is the usual form of the sport. In this game the pursued party is safe whenever touching iron in any shape, as the ring of a post, horse-shoe, etc.[99]A writer in theGentleman's Magazine, February, 1738, speaking of this amusement, says that "the lad saves himself by the touching of cold iron," and that "in later times this play has been altered amongst children of quality, by touching of gold instead of iron." In like manner, owing to the occasional scarcity of iron objects,wood-tagandstone-taghave been varieties of the sport in America.

This form of the game exhibits its original meaning. As in several other games of chase, the pursuer represents an evil spirit, from whose attack, according to ancient superstition, iron was a protection. Hence the challenge, in Silesia and Switzerland, is, "Father, I have no iron, hit me."[100]The chaser, it seems, was conceived as the aged but powerfuldwarf, of malignant character. Thus we get a vivid idea of the extent to which such representations once affected the lives even of children, and see that an amusement which is now a mere pleasurable muscular exercise followed the direction imposed by belief.

There are numerous varieties of this game. Incross-tag, the pursuer must follow whoever comes between him and the pursued. Insquat-tag, the fugitive is safe while in that position, or is allowed a given number of "squats," during which he cannot be touched. A peculiar variety (in Philadelphia) is "Tag, tag, tell a body." In this game every child is forbidden to tell who is "it," on penalty of replacing him. Sometimes the name of the pursuer is kept secret until revealed by his actions, or the child who has been tagged deceives the rest by keeping up his speed. On the other hand, the catcher is sometimes bound to turn his cap inside out, whence the game is calledturn-cap.

"Pickadill" is a kind of tag played in Massachusetts during the winter. A large circle is made in the snow, with quartering paths; if there are many players, two circles are made. There is one tagger, and the centre is the place of safety.

"London Loo" is a particular species of the game (in Philadelphia) in which the following: formula is used:

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10—London!""Loo!""I'll try to catch one of you."

This is an out-of-doors game. Each boy represents a wild beast, and has a separate tree, which represents his "den." Any player who leaves his den is liable to be tagged by any who has started out at a later moment. The best runner usually ventures first, a second pursues him, and so on, until all may be out at once. If a player can tag any one whom he has a right to capture, he takes him home to his own den, and the latter must help him to take the rest. The pursuer cannot be tagged while bringing home his prisoner.

Cambridge, Mass.

This game is world-old and world-wide. To judge by the description of Pollux (in the second century), it was then played exactly as American children play it to-day. "One of the party places himself in the middle of his comrades, and closes his eyes, unless some other covers them for him. The players run away and scatter. Then the pursuer opens his eyes and proceeds to look for them. It is each player's object to reach that one's[102]ground before him."

An ancient painting represents this game. Cupids are playing together. One of these, with his face turned away, has his hands before his eyes, and appears to be counting. Another is running to a place of concealment, while a third peeps from behind the door.

Children, with us, usually count a hundred before beginning the search; but there is an abbreviated method, not accounted fair—

Ten, ten, and double ten,Forty-five and fifteen.

The "home" is usually a tree. When the seeker catches sight of any of the players, he (or she) runs to the tree, and touches it thrice, saying, "One, two, three, for——" (naming the child). On the other hand, if the latter can reach the tree first, he touches it, saying, "One, two, three, for myself."[103]

In a variety of the game, a stick is set up against a tree. One of the players seizes it, and throws it as far as possible. The children hide, while the one who happens to be "it" gets and replaces the stick, after which he proceeds to look for the rest. Those whom he discovers he captures as above described, until all are taken. If any of the hiders can reach the tree and throw down the stick, all prisoners are released, and the seeker must begin over again. A similar game, in New York, is called "Yards off."

"Hide and Seek" differs only in this, that there is no home to be touched, but the game is ended when the concealment is discovered. When the players are hidden they announce it by "whooping."

This is a very ancient hiding-game. A wolf is chosen by "counting out" or otherwise, who conceals himself, and then indicates that he is ready by howling.

The rest of the party, who are supposed to be sheep, walk round the corner in a casual way, until one calls out, "I spy a wolf," whereupon all immediately take to their heels. Whoever is caught by the wolf before reaching home must take his place for the next turn. This game is nearly identical in most European countries.

New York.

A boy is selected by the following peculiar counting rhyme:

In came a little man with a white hat;If you want a pretty girl, pray take that;Take your choice of one, two, or three,If you want a pretty girl, pray take she.

Lad after lad being successively excluded, the last remaining is "it," and has to hide himself, when he calls out,

Blank and ladder!

The searcher may summon the fugitive to indicate his whereabouts:

Halloo if you're far off, whistle if you're nigh.

Salem, Mass.

In Portland, Me., the shout of the concealed party is, "Blank, blank, Cornelia!" and in the western part of the State of New York, "Blancalilo!"

The searcher, on discovering one of the hidden players, calls "Hi spy!" and tries to touch the latter before he can reach goal, the rule being that

Elbow and kneeAlways go free.

A blindfolded player is led into the centre of a room, taken by the shoulders, and turned about three times, after which he must catch somebody to replace him.

For this initiation there is in the Middle States a rhyme:

"How many horses have you in your father's stable?""Three; black, white, and gray.""Turn about, and turn about, and catch whom you may."[104]

The English name, "Hoodman-blind," is derived from the manner of blindfolding formerly in use. When caps were worn which could be drawn at will over the face, the caps, reversed so as to cover the countenance, formed the mask.

This game belongs to all ages and most countries, and is known by many different names, frequently taken from animals, for example: "Blind Cow" in Germany; "Blind Goat" in Sweden; "Blind Mouse" in South Germany and Servia; "Blind Hen" in Spain; "Blind Fly," or "Blind Cat," in Italy. To the English name, "Blind-man's Buff," correspond the Polish "Blind Old Man," and the Norwegian "Blind Thief." In these titles a mythologic allusion is probably contained, which is quite clear in the Scotch "Belly-blind,"[105]the latter name representing a malicious demon. Thus again appears the conception of a supernatural adversary so common in games of pursuit.

A familiar variation makes this a ring-game. The blindfolded person stands in the centre, with a staff, while the ring circles about him. When he strikes the floor three times, the ring must pause. The person in whose direction he points must grasp the staff, and utter some sound, disguising the voice as much as possible. The first must then guess the name from the sound. In New York this form of the game is called "Peggy in the Ring," and the request is "to squeak."

In Cincinnati the game is also played in a dark room, without bandaging the eyes, and is then called "Devil in the Dark."

Another variety, also commonly played without blindfolding, goes by the name of "Still Pond," or "Still Palm." The child who is "it," counting up to ten, says,

Still proving,No moving.

All now keep their places. The catcher must guess by the touch the name of his captive.

The game of which we write is described by Pollux, as played seventeen hundred years since in various forms, all of which are still familiar: "The game of 'Muinda,' when any one, closing his eyes, cries, 'Look out!' and whomsoever he catches he makes him close his eyes instead; or when, keeping his eyes shut, he seeks after the children who have hidden until he catches them; or else he closes his eyes while the others touch him, and if anybody gives a clue himself, he speaks out and guesses till he gets it right."

When a bandage was used, the game was called the "Brazen Fly" (we may suppose a gaudy species of insect, from the zigzag motion, as boys run when chasing butterflies), and is thus described by the same author: "The eyes of a boy having been bound with a bandage, he goes round, saying, 'I shall chase thebrazen fly;' but the others, answering, 'You will chase him but not catch him,' hit him with whips of papyrus, till he catches one of them." These papyrus whips were the equivalent of our knotted handkerchiefs.

One of the children is selected for a witch, and each of the others chooses some tree or post for a goal. The witch then marks out on the ground with a stick as many circles as there are players, which she calls "jars." The children run out from their homes, and are pursued by the witch. Whenever she catches one, she puts him in one of her jars, from which he cannot escape unless some one else chooses to free him by touching. Once freed, he cannot be recaught until he has reached his home, and ventures out once more. The freer, however, can be caught, and asthe witch keeps guard over her prisoners, it is a dangerous task for a player to attempt to set his companions free. When all are caught, a new witch is chosen.

This game is also called "Prisoner's Bars;" but the first name, mentioned in "Cymbeline," seems the older, from which the latter has arisen by misunderstanding.

The game, which is also popular in Europe, is originally an imitation of warfare. The two armies stand facing each other, and have theirbaseseach on a line parallel with that of the adversary. But in the United States the game has been changed, so that the two parties stand on the same line, and the bases are placed diagonally opposite at a distance of some thirty yards, so that each base is nearer to the enemy's forces than to those of the side to which it belongs. The game is opened by a challenge given by one leader to the other; each player can tag any one of the opponents who has quitted his line before he has left his own. Any player tagged must go to his base. Any player who can reach his base in safety may release a prisoner.

As it often happens that a half-dozen runners may be pursuing a single fugitive, who is cut off from his friends, the chase may be prolonged far from the point of departure, through streets of the town or fields of the country.

After the battle of Dunbar, Oliver Cromwell sent Colonel Fenwick with two regiments to reduce Hume Castle. The governor, Cockburn, when ordered to surrender, replied by quoting the following lines, which must have belonged to a boys' game of his day:

I, William of the Wastle,Am now in my castle,And a' the dogs in the townWinna gae me gang down.

The rhyme, with small change, is still familiar in Scotland, and the game well known in Pennsylvania, where the defiance runs, less chivalrously,

Hally, hally, hastle,Come into my new castle!

Or, with a change of usage,

Hally, hally, hastle,Get off of my new castle!

In the first case the defender maintains his post against assailants; in the latter, he endeavors to capture one of a group who have established themselves in his castle, represented usually by a cellar-door.

This game is played in an open field. A boy stands in the centre of the field, and the other players at the sides. With the cry "Lil lil!" they run across. The tagger must touch a runner three times on the back, and whoever is so caught must assist him. There is a rhyme for this game—

Lil, lil,Over the hill,Wash my lady's dishes,Hang them on the bushes, etc.

"Lil lil!" is also a cry (in Boston) of children "coasting," when the track is to be cleared.

Charley, barley, buck and rye,What's the way the Frenchmen fly?Some fly east, and some fly west,And some fly over the cuckoo's nest.

Portland, Me.

We have not obtained information as to the manner in which this game was played, but it is evidently identical with the Scotch rhyme:

Hickety, bickety, pease, scone,Where shall this poor Scotchman gang?Will he gang east, or will he gang west,Or will he gang to the craw's nest?

In the Scotch game, a boy, whose eyes are bandaged, rests his head against a wall, while the rest come up and lay their hands upon his back. He sends them to different places, according to the rhyme, and calls out, "Hickety, bickety!" till they have returned, when the last in must take his place. The "crow's nest" is close beside the blindfolded boy, and is a coveted position.

This game is also played in Switzerland. Each of the children receives the name of some animal, as Goat, Wolf, Snake, Frog, etc. To the swifter and more dangerous beasts are assigned the more distant positions. The keeper then shouts out that supper is ready, whereupon all rush home, each animal uttering his own peculiar cry. The last in is punished.

All the players join hands in a row, except one, who stands facing them at a distance of a few feet. The row slowly advances towards the solitary child, and then retreats, singing,

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