One player is chosen to represent the “Old Buzzard” another player represents a hen and the remainder are chickens. All the players circle around the buzzard saying in chorus –

“Chickany chickany crany crow
I went to the well to wash my toe
And when I came back a chicken was gone.”

The hen finishes by asking alone “What oclock is it old buzzard ” The buzzard crouches on the ground during the repetition of the verse going through the pantomime of building a fire with sticks and in answer to the question may name any hour as eight oclock nine oclock ten oclock. So long as the buzzard does not say twelve oclock the players continue to circle around repeating the verse the final question being asked each time by a different player until the buzzard finally says “Twelve oclock ” When this occurs the ring stands still and the following dialogue takes place between the buzzard and the hen –

Hen. Old buzzard old buzzard what are you doing
Buz. Picking up sticks.
Hen. What do you want the sticks for
Buz. To build a fire.
Hen. What are you building a fire for
Buz. To broil a chicken.
Hen. Where are you going to get the chicken
Buz. Out of your flock

The buzzard who keeps a crouching attitude with face downcast during this dialogue suddenly rises on the last words and chases the players who scatter precipitately. When a player is captured the buzzard brings him back lays him down and dresses him for dinner while the rest of the players group around. The buzzard asks of the captured chicken “Will you be picked or scraped ” and goes through the motions of picking feathers or scaling fish as the chicken decides. The buzzard then asks “Will you be pickled or salted ” “Will you be roasted or stewed ” each time administering to the recumbent chicken the appropriate manipulations. At the end he drags the victim to a corner and the game goes on with the remainder of the players.

Kitty White so slyly comes
To catch the Mousie Gray
But mousie hears her softly creep
And quickly runs away.

Run run run little mouse
Run all around the house
For Kitty White is coming near
And she will catch the mouse I fear.

One player is chosen for the mouse and stands in the center and another for Kitty White who stands outside of the circle. The other players join hands in a ring and move around while singing the first four lines. Meanwhile Kitty White is creeping around outside of the circle peeping in at little Mousie Gray. When the fourth line is reached “And quickly runs away ” the circle stops moving and drops hands while the mouse runs out and in through the circle chased by Kitty White. For the last four lines while the chase is going on the players in the circle stand in place and clap their hands while singing “Run run ” etc.

When the mousie is caught both return to the circle and another mouse and kitty are chosen.

One player is blindfolded placed in the center (on the hub of the wheel) and turned around several times to confuse his sense of direction. He then walks around inside the rim while counting twelve or repeating the verse –

“Dickery dickery dock
The mouse ran up the clock
The clock struck ten
He ran down again
Dickery dickery dock.”

He stops on the last word and the number of the space in which he stands is scored to his credit for instance if he stops in section eight it scores eight points for him if in section three it scores three points etc. Should he stop with one foot on a line or outside the circle he scores nothing. The players take turns each having but one trial at a turn. The game is won by the player first scoring twenty-five or fifty points as may be decided.

One player is chosen to be market man and another buyer the rest of the players are chickens they stoop down in a row and clasp their hands under their knees. The buyer approaches the market man and asks “Have you any chickens for sale ” The market man answers “Yes plenty will you walk around and try them ” Whereupon the buyer goes up to different chickens and tests them by laying over the head his clasped hands palms downward and pressing inward. The buyer pretends to be dissatisfied with some of the chickens saying “This one is too tough ” “This one is too old ” “This one is too fat ” etc. until at last he finds one that suits him the chickens being supposed to go through this ordeal without smiling.

When a chicken is found that appears to be satisfactory the buyer and the market man take him by the arms one on either side he still remaining in his first position with hands clasped under the knees and swing him forward and backward three times. Should he stand this test without loosening his own grasp he is supposed to be all right and the buyer leads him off to the opposite side of the playground or home. The game continues until all of the chickens are sold. Any chicken that smiles or whose arms give way in the swinging test must pay a forfeit all of the forfeits being redeemed at the close of the game. Where there are more than ten players there should be two or more buyers and sellers.

This game is played in various countries in England as a “Sale of Honey Pots ” in China as a “Fruit Sale ” etc. The version here given is from Italy.