Thus we see the ancient earnestness appearing behind the modern mirth. It is likely that the origin of the song would take us back to those lists of mythical titles which were regarded as conveying real knowledge of the relations of things, at a time when a large part of learning consisted in the knowledge of the significant names which were given to objects.
No. 49.
Frog-pond.
A party of children, who represent frogs by a hopping motion. At the word "kough," they imitate the croaking of the frog.
Come, neighbors, the moon is up,
It's pleasant out here on the bank.
Come, stick your heads out of the tank,
And let us, before we sup,
Go kough, kough, kough.
And let us, before we sup,
Go kough, kough, kough.
Enter child in character of duck—
Hush, yonder is the waddling duck,
He's coming, I don't mean to stay.
We'd better by half hop our way,
If we don't he will gobble us up,
With a kough, kough, kough.
If we don't he will gobble us up,
With a kough, kough, kough.
Every frog hops to his separate den, while pursued by the duck, the game after the duck's advent being extremely animated.
Georgia.