flock of geese for their mates. Many other
plays were likewise borrowed from Nature. Examples are found in "Hawk
and Chickens Play," and "Fox and Geese Play." "Caught by a Witch Play"
is borrowed from superstition. But to return to "Goosie-gander"--most
children of our childhood days played it, using common prose in the
calls, and answers just as we have here described it. A few children
here and there so gave their calls and responses as to rhyme them into a
kind of a little poem as it is recorded in our collection. Without
further argument, I think it can hardly be doubted that the whole thing
began as a simple prose call, and response, and that some child inclined
to rhyming things, started "to do the rest," and was assisted in
accomplishing the task by other children equally or more gifted. This
reasonably accounts for the origin of the Play Rhyme.

Now what of the Play Rhyme Songs? There were many more Play Rhyme Songs
than Play Rhymes. There were some of the Play Rhyme Songs sung in prose
version by some children and the same Play Song would be sung in rhymed
version by other children. Likewise the identical Play Song would not be
sung at all by other children; they would simply repeat the words as in
the case of the Rhyme "Goosie-gander," just discussed. The little Play
Song found in our collection under the caption, "Did You Feed My Cow?"
is one which was current in my childhood in the many versions as just
indicated. The general thought in the story of the Rhyme was the same in
all versions whether prose or rhyme, or song. In cases where children
repeated it instead of singing it, it was generally in prose and the
questions were so framed by the leader that all the general responses by
the crowd were "Yes, Ma'am!" Where it was sung, it was invariably
rhymed; and the version found in this collection was about the usual
one.

The main point in the discussion at this juncture is--that there were
large numbers of Play Songs like this one found in the transition stage
from plain prose to repeated rhyme, and to sung rhyme. Such a status
leaves little doubt that the Play Song travelled this general road in
its process of evolution.

I might take up the Courtship Rhymes, and show that they are derivatives
of Courtship, and so on to the end of all the classes given in my
outline, but since the evidences and arguments in all the cases are
essentially the same I deem it unnecessary.

I now turn attention to a peculia