Page:The Strand Magazine (Volume 2).djvu/515

 the "King of the Barbaree," and is accompanied by clapping of hands.

The pièce de résistance of quite a number of round games consists in flopping to the ground, a proceeding which seems to be a source of hilarious and side-splitting mirth to children. In Ring a ring o' roses the girls make a ring, and move round singing:

The last line finds all the little maidens seated on the pavement with gleeful and delighted faces. Precisely the same wildly exciting finale occurs in Our boots are made of Spanish, another popular game amongst small girls, who also divert themselves with skipping, which is too familiar to need any description, and a variety of games with soft balls.

This I think pretty well exhausts girls' games and mixed games in general.

Tipcat is almost exclusively played by boys, and although it will not be in season again till next spring, it may not be inapropos here to warn persons of its dangerous results, in the shape of impaired eyesight and even blindness, from the eye being struck by the cat. Amongst boys the game goes by the name of Cat and Stick, and consists, as is perhaps superfluous to state, of a stick and a small piece of wood sharpened at each end. A variety of games can be played with these weapons, but they are all on much the same principle—that of hitting the cat when in the air, and a description of Waggles practically covers most of the games played under tipcat. Four boys stand at the corners of a large paving stone, two of whom are provided with sticks, whilst the other two are feeders and throw the cat. The batter acts very much in the same way as in cricket, except that he must hit the cat whilst in the air. He hits it as far away as possible, and whilst the feeder has gone to find it gets runs which count to his side. If either of the cats fall to the ground both batters go out and the feeders get their turn. The popular game of Whacks is played on much the same lines, and, as it has to be played near railings, usually results in the smashing of a window, which is possibly one of the reasons of its attractiveness.

It is not difficult to understand the fascination of marbles to a healthy boy, who need never be at a loss for amusement so long as he carries half a dozen of the little round balls in his pocket. The various games of marbles appear more provocative of disputes than any other street game, the reason being due probably to the greater desirableness of the prize. For, as in buttons, the winner keeps the marbles he hits or captures, and one can sympathise with the anguished feelings of Tommy when he sees his cherished coloured glass marble passing into the triumphant possession of Billy. It is at that tragic moment that Tommy is wont to bring the accusation of cheating on the tapis. Holy Bung, the somewhat unsavoury title given to one game, consists in placing one marble