S × × × × × × × h = Swordfish This is a slate game, and two or more children play. One writes the initial and final letters of a bird’s, beast’s, or fish’s name, making crosses (×) instead of the intermediate letters of the word, stating whether the name is that of bird, beast, or fish. The other players must guess in turn what the name is. The first one who succeeds takes for himself the same number of marks as there are crosses in the word, and then writes the name of anything he chooses in the same manner. If the players are unsuccessful in guessing the name, the writer takes the number to his own score and writes another. The game is won when one player gains a certain number of marks previously decided upon as “game.”—Barnes (A. B. Gomme). Bittle-battle The Sussex game of “Stoolball.” There is a tradition that this game was originally played by the milkmaids with their milking-stools, which they used for bats; but this word makes it more probable that the stool was the wicket, and that it was defended with the bittle, which would be called the bittle-bat.—Parish’s _Sussex Dialect_. See “Stoolball.” Bitty-base Bishop Kennet (in _MS. Lansd._ 1033) gives this name as a term for “Prisoner’s Base.”—Halliwell’s _Dictionary_. Black Man’s Tig A long rope is tied to a gate or pole, and one of the players holds the end of the rope, and tries to catch another player. When he succeeds in doing so the one captured joins him (by holding hands) and helps to catch the other players. The game is finished when all are caught.—Cork (Miss Keane). Black Thorn [Music] —Earls Heaton, Yorks. I. Blackthorn! Butter-milk and barley-corn; How many geese have you to-day? As many as you can catch and carry away. —Monton, Lancashire (Miss Dendy). II. Blackthorn! Blackthorn! Blue milk and barley-corn; How many geese have you to-day? More than you can catch and carry away. —Harland and Wilkinson’s _Lancashire Folk-lore_, p. 150. III. Blackthorn! New milk and barley-corn; How many sheep have you to sell? More nor yo can catch and fly away wi’. —Addy’s _Sheffield Glossary_. IV. Blackthorn! Butter-milk and barley-corn; How many sheep have you to-day? As many as you catch and carry away. —Earls Heaton, Yorkshire (Herbert Hardy).