I went out the other morning with my gun and nets to catch a few birds. I did not intend robbing a farm yard, but on the top of a railing I saw a fine cock; (“Cock a doodle do,”) there was nobody looking and I couldn’t resist it—when up came an enormous turkey. (“Gobble, obble, obble.”) Oh! Oh! said I, a turkey, (“Gobble, obble, obble”)—well a turkey (“Gobble, obble, obble”) is worth more than a little sparrow, (“Chip, chip,”) and there is more to eat on it than on a curlew, (“Pewit, pewit,”) and as I had made up my mind to steal a cock, (“Cock a doodle do,”) why not a goose, (“His, s, s,”) or a turkey. (“Gobble, obble, obble.”) I crept up to him, when all of a sudden a rascally magpie (“Jack wants his dinner”) flew out of a bush, making such an abominable noise that all the birds in the air (general cry without moving the hands) took flight at once. Off went the turkey (“Gobble, obble, obble”) on one side and the cock (“Cock a doodle do”) on the other, scattering a flock of ducks. (“Quack, quack.”) There was not a single bird in sight but the owl. (“To whit! to whit! to whoo.”) All hands up. [A forfeit given either by the unlucky bird-catcher who has not succeeded in catching a hand, or by a bird whose hand he has caught; in either case, he who remains, or becomes bird-catcher, continues.] As I was saying, the owl [dead silence except the sound of the owl, all hands still behind] began making an extraordinary noise, no doubt thinking himself the nightingale, [the nightingale sings a bar from the “Daughter of the Regiment;” all hands down on the knees immediately. Forfeits from those too late, or in too great a hurry to replace them,] and all the birds in the air [general cry] flocked round again to see what the matter could be. Up came the crow, (“Caw, caw,”) the raven, (“Croak,” or “never more,” as agreed on) the wild duck, (“Quack! quack!”) even the farmer’s parrot, (“Pretty Poll,”) in fact, all the birds in the field, [dead silence.] “Oh! ho!” I said, “now I shall put some salt on you,” when to my horror, the beast of an owl—(“To whit, to whit, to whoo!”)—[all hands disappear as before, and the bird-catcher darts forward to catch some one. Whenever the bird-catcher says, “All the birds in the air”—every bird must answer at once.]