who are alert enough pass through, but
others are caught and made prisoners.

CHAPTER II.

NURSERY GAMES.

A GAME FOR A WET DAY.

"Cows and horses walk on four legs,
Little children walk on two legs;
Fishes swim in water clear,
Birds fly up into the air.
One, two, three, four, five,
Catching fishes all alive.
Why did you let them go?
Because they bit my finger so.
Which finger did they bite?
This little finger on the right."

The enthusiasm with which children of all ages play this somewhat noisy
game can hardly be imagined. Try it, you fun-loving parents, and be
rewarded by the tears of joy their mirth and laughter will cause.

It is played after this fashion. However, it will not be amiss to remove
the tea-things before anything is attempted. All seated, the parent or
nurse then places the first and second fingers of each hand on the
coverlet, the youngsters imitating her. Everybody's fingers are now
moved up and down in a perpendicular way, like the needle of a sewing
machine. All singing--

"Cows and horses walk on four legs."

The next line requires a change, only one finger on each hand being
used, and--

"Little children walk on two legs" (_sung_).

* * *

"Fishes swim in water clear"

demands the waving of arms horizontally, to imitate the action of
swimming in water.

"Birds fly up into the air."

When this line is sung the hands are held up, and moved from the wrists
like the wings of birds flapping in the air.

"One, two, three, four, five"

is said to the clapping of hands.

"Catching fishes all alive"

is sung to the action of grabbing at supposed fishes with the fingers.

"Why did you let them go?"

Everybody shakes their head and replies--

"Because they bit my finger so!"
"Which finger did they bite?"

Holding up the little finger, you answer--

"This little finger on the right!"

"ANOTHER NURSERY TABLE GAME, BUT NEARLY 300 YEARS OLD."

Some of the thousands of the nursery tales in vogue come to us without a
trace as to their origin. In James I.'s time the ending of ballads ran
with a tuneful

"Fa, la, la, la, lal, de."

A collection of ballads in book-form by John Hilton, and called
"Garlands," are also described as the "Ayres and Fa las" in the
title-page.

Halliwell gives "The tale of two birds sitting on a stone" the same
date. It is scarcely a