title, "How Mr. Rabbit Lost His Fine Bushy Tail," though for some reason
Mr. Harris failed to weave it into the story as was the Negro custom.
"The Turtle's Song," in our collection, is another, which belongs with
the story, "Mr. Terrapin Shows His Strength"; a Negro story given to the
world by the same author, though the Rhyme was not recorded by him. It
might be of interest to know that the Negroes, when themselves telling
the Folk stories, usually sang the Folk Rhyme portions to little
"catchy" Negro tunes. I would not under any circumstances intimate that
Mr. Harris carelessly left them out. He recorded many little stanzas in
the midst of the stories. Examples are:

(a) "We'll stay at home when you're away
'Cause no gold won't pay toll."

(b) "Big bird catch, little bird sing.
Bug bee zoom, little bee sting.
Little man lead, and the big horse follow,
Can you tell what's good for a head in a hollow?"

These and many others are fragmentarily recorded among Mr. Harris' Negro
stories in "Nights With Uncle Remus."

Folk Rhymes also formed in many cases the words of Negro Play Songs.
"Susie Girl," and "Peep Squirrel," found in our collection, are good
illustrations of the Rhymes used in this way. The words and the music of
such Rhymes were usually of poor quality. When, however, they were sung
by children with the proper accompanying body movements, they might
quite well remind one of the "Folk Dances" used in the present best
up-to-date Primary Schools. They were the little rays of sunshine in the
dark dreary monotonous lives of black slave children.

Possibly the thing which will impress the reader most in reading Negro
Folk Rhymes is their good-natured drollery and sparkling nonsense. I
believe this is very important. Many have recounted in our hearing, the
descriptions of "backwoods" Negro picnics. I have witnessed some of
them where the good-natured vender of lemonade and cakes cried out:

"Here's y[=o]' c[=o]l' ice lemonade,
It's made in de shade,
It's stirred wid a spade.
Come buy my c[=o]l' ice lemonade.
It's made in de shade
An' s[=o]l' in de sun.
Ef you hain't got no money,
You cain't git none.
One glass fer a nickel,
An' two fer a dime,
Ef you hain't got de chink,
You cain't git mine.
Come right dis way,
Fer it sh[=o]' will pay
To git candy fer de ladies
An' cakes fer de babies."

"Did these