6.—"The Corbie's Hole."
In this game the player joins his thumb and forefinger together in such a way as to leave an opening, closing the other fingers on the palm of the hand. He then, unseen, introduces the thumb of the other hand between the closed fingers, and repeats the words to the child on whom the game is to be played:—
"Pit yir finger in o' the corbie's hole,
Th' corbie's nae at hame,
Th' corbie's at th' back o' the barn
Pyckin an aul' horse bane."
Variant of the last two lines—
"Th' corbie sits on the corbie stane,
An is t' a' unseen."
As soon as the child's finger is introduced, the hidden thumb closes upon it, and holds it fast, whilst the captor cries out:—
"Th' corbie's at hame,
Th' corbie's at hame."
III.
1. "Fittiekins."
In this amusement the nurse or mother takes hold of the child's feet, and imitates the motion of walking, at the same time repeating the words:—
"'Fittiekins, fittiekins,
Fan will ye gyang?'
'Fin the nicht turns short,
An the day turns lang,
An than my fittiekins seen will gyang.'"[1]
(Mrs. Forbes, Portsoy.)
2.—"Shoe a Horse."
To please the child when the shoes are being put on, the following formula in various forms is repeated, and the action of the smith in shoeing a horse is imitated as closely as possible:[2]—
