Thus I guard my mother's lambkins, Guard the flocks of my good mother, Here before God's holy temple, Here behind Maria's cloister, Near the halls of our Creator. At the house the mother, knitting, Shapes the stockings of blue woollen, Woollen stockings seamed with scarlet, Jackets of the snow-white worsted. I build hedges, stakes I sharpen, Mould the brazen gratings strongly, That the thieves come in and steal not, Take not from the flock its sheep-dog, Nor the wolf steal in and plunder, Seize my mother's tender lambkins, Rob the young lambs of my father. A girl entices away the shepherd, while a boy as wolf carries off part of the herd, and another as dog barks. The mother of the family hastens up, beats the traitor, and the herdsmen go with staves to seek the lost lamb. The garland it wore is found and identified. With shouts of, "Lamb, lamb," it is found at last, caressed, and its bruises examined. No. 51. _Blue-birds and Yellow-birds._ A ring of girls with their hands clasped and lifted. A girl, called (according to the color of her dress) blue-bird, black-bird, yellow-bird, etc., enters, and passes into the ring under an arch formed by a pair of lifted hands, singing to any suitable tune: Here comes a blue-bird through the window, Here comes a blue-bird through the window, Here comes a blue-bird through the window, High diddle dum day! She seizes a child, and waltzes off with her, singing: Take a little dance and a hop-i'-the-corner,[89] Take a little dance and a hop-i'-the-corner, Take a little dance and a hop-i'-the-corner, High diddle dum day! After the dance the chosen partner leads, named, as before, according to the color of her costume. The child, as she enters, must imitate by her raised arms the flight of a bird, making a very pretty dance. _Cincinnati._ No. 52. _Ducks Fly._ A girl, speaking the words "Ducks fly," raises her hand to imitate the flight of the bird; so on with robins, eagles, etc., while all the rest must imitate her example; but she finally says "Cats fly," or some similar expression, when any child who is incautious enough to raise the hand (or thumb) must pay forfeit. _New York._ Trifling as the catch is, it has been popular in Europe. In some countries, instead of birds who fly, the question is of beasts who have or do not have horns. FOOTNOTES: [89] Pronounced _hop-sie-corner_. VII. _HUMAN LIFE._ Lilies are white, rosemary's green; When you are king, I will be queen. Roses are red, lavender's blue; If you will have me, I will have you. _Gammer Gurton's Garland._ No. 53. _King and Queen._