24 JUNE 1911, Page 15

" SHEEP AND SHEPHERDS?'

[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."]

Sin,—In the days of my youth the rhyme we used for "count- ing out " ran somewhat as follows :—

" Overy, twoery, tickery, teven, Alaba, crackaba, ten, eleven, Pim, pan, musky, dan,

Twidledum, twadletum, twenty-one, 0, u, t spells OUT."

There appears to be a strong resemblance between this doggerel and the numerals which compose the Lincolnshire score, especially as the words " twenty-one " form the climax, as indicating the odd man out. Judging by the rhythm of the words, and the actual reproduction of " pimp " in "pim, pan," it would seem that as children we have been talking ancient Briton without being aware of the fact.—I am, Sir,