Hunt the Squirrel

DESCRIPTION: "Hunt the squirrel through the wood, I lost him, I found him; I have a little dog at home, He won't bite you, He won't bite you, And he *will* bite you."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1939 (Linscott-FolkSongsOfOldNewEngland)
KEYWORDS: playparty animal hunting dog
FOUND IN: US(NE) New Zealand
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Linscott-FolkSongsOfOldNewEngland, pp. 37-38, "Lucy Locket" (1 text, 1 tune, which has the "I Wrote a Letter" verse, the "Little dog" verse, and the "Lucy Locket" verse but which is said by Linscott to use the "Hunt the Squirrel" game)
Botkin-TreasuryOfAmericanFolklore, p. 806, "Hunt the Squirrel (Itisket, Itasket)" (1 text)
Newell-GamesAndSongsOfAmericanChildren, #117, "Hunt the Squirrel" (1 text, 1 tune, with the tune being "Itisket" but the game being "Hunt the Squirrel")
Stout-FolkloreFromIowa 104, p. 133, "Nursery Rhyme" (1 text of two verses, the first being "Yankee Doodle" and the second "Lucy Locket/Hunt the Squirrel")
Sutton-Smith-NZ-GamesOfNewZealandChilden/FolkgamesOfChildren, p. 30, ""I sent a letter to my love"; "I had a little dog"; "Lucy Locket" (3 texts, the first being of the "Atisket, Atasket (I Sent a Letter to My Love)" type, the second of the "Hunt the Squirrel" type, the third being "Lucy Locket," but all apparently used for the same game)
ST BAF806 (Full)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Atisket, Atasket (I Sent a Letter to My Love)" (floating lyrics, playparty form)
cf. "Lucy Locket" (floating lyrics)
NOTES [194 words]: Botkin, following Newell-GamesAndSongsOfAmericanChildren, lumps this with "Atisket, Atasket." There is, however, little contact in the lyrics; if they are connected, it is because both are used as platforms for the "drop glove" playparty game. For details, see the notes on "Atisket, Atasket (I Sent a Letter to My Love)."
Linscott-FolkSongsOfOldNewEngland has still a different version, opening with the verse "Lucy Locket lost her pocket, Kitty Fisher found it, There was not a penny in it, only ribbon 'round it." This also occurs in nursery rhymes (see Baring-Gould-AnnotatedMotherGoose #279, p. 165, "(Lucy Locket lost her pocket)"). But the second verse is the "I wrote a letter to my love," and the third is "I have a little dog at home" -- plus she says the game is "Hunt the Squirrel." So I file the piece here. Possibly it should be with "Atisket, Atasket (I Sent a Letter to My Love)." Or maybe the two should be lumped.... - RBW
Verse 1 of Linscott is the same as Opie/Opie-OxfordDictionaryOfNurseryRhymes 312, "Lucy Locket" (earliest date in Opie/Opie-OxfordDictionaryOfNurseryRhymes is 1842). - BS
This is also the name of an English country dance. - PJS
Last updated in version 4.4
File: BAF806

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