—Peacock’s Manley and Corringham Glossary.
Moor (Suffolk Words and Phrases) gives the names for the number of times the stone emerges, as (1) “a duck;” (2) “a duck an’ a drake;” if thrice, “a duck an’ a drake an’ a fi’epenny cake;” four times is “a duck an’ a drake an’ a fi’epenny cake, an’ a penny to pah the baker.” If more than four, “a duck,” “a duck an’ a drake,” &c., are added. These distinctions are iterated quickly to correspond in time as nearly as may be with the dips of the stone. A flattish stone is evidently the best for this sport.
(b) This game is also given by Mr. Addy in his Sheffield Glossary, and by Holland (Cheshire Glossary), Brogden (Provincial Words, Lincolnshire), Lowsley (Berkshire Glossary), Nares’ Glossary, and Baker’s Northants Glossary. Miss Courtenay gives “Scutter” and “Tic Tac Mollard” as Cornish names for the game (West Cornwall Glossary). See also Halliwell’s Nursery Rhymes, p. 139, and Strutt’s Sports and Pastimes, p. 326.
Butler, in his Hudibras (p. ii. canto iii. l. 302), makes it one of the important qualifications of his conjurer to tell—
What figur’d slates are best to make
On wat’ry surface duck or drake.
The following description of this sport is given by Minucius Felix, ed. 1712, p. 28, which evinces its high antiquity: “Pueros videmus certatim gestientes, testarum in mare jaculationibus ludere. Is lusus est, testam teretem, jactatione fluctuum lævigatam, legere de litore: eam testam plano situ digitis comprehensam, inclinem ipsum atque humilem, quantum potest, super undas irrorare: ut illud jaculum vel dorsum maris raderet, vel enataret, dum leni impetu labitur; vel summis fluctibus tonsis emicaret, emergeret, dum assiduo saltu sublevatur. Is se in pueris victorem ferebat, cujus testa et procurreret longius, et frequentius exsiliret.”
“From this pastime,” says Moor, “has probably arisen the application of the term to a spendthrift—of whose approaching ruin we should thus speak: ‘Ah, he’ave made fine ducks and drakes of a’s money, that a’ have.’”—Suffolk Words.
Duckstone
A large stone called the Duckstone or Duck-table is placed on the ground, generally with a wall for a background, but this is of little consequence. Several boys take a stone each, and a place pretty near the Duckstone is chosen for “home.” One of the boys puts his stone on the Duckstone, and he is called the Tenter. He has to guard the home and catch the other boys if he can. Each boy in turn throws his stone at the stone on the Duck-table and immediately runs home. The Tenter tries to catch him before he can touch the wall or post or whatever is chosen for the home. If the Tenter can catch him he becomes Tenter, and puts his stone on the Duckstone, and the original Tenter takes his turn in throwing. One rule of the game is that the Tenter’s stone must always be on the Duck-table when he is trying to catch a boy, so if it is knocked off it must be replaced before he can try to catch the boy running “home.” The chance of getting home is increased for the boy who knocks it off.—North-West Lincolnshire (Rev. —— Roberts and Miss Peacock).
(b) Similar versions are from Earls Heaton (Herbert Hardy), Ireland (Folk-lore Journal, ii. 265), Peacock (Mauley and Corringham Glossary). Addy (Sheffield Glossary) gives this game with the following addition: If a duck falls short of the Duckstone, and the one whose duck is on the stone sees that he can wand or span with his hand the distance between the duck thus thrown and the Duckstone, he shouts out “Wands,” and if he can wand or span the distance he takes his duck off, and the duck thus thrown is put on. Holland (Cheshire Glossary), Darlington (South Cheshire), Baker (Northants Glossary), and Brogden (Provincial Words, Lincolnshire), also give this game. Elworthy (West Somerset Words) calls it “Duck,” and “Ducks off” and “Cobbs off” in Dorsetshire. In London the boy repeats the words, “Gully, gully, all round the hole, one duck on,” while he is playing (Strand Magazine, November 1891). Newell (Games, p. 188) calls it “Duck on a Rock.”