278 TlMEHRI. 



down behind his front man, as a chicken behind its 

 mother, and only the hindmost man runs up the line, on 

 the opposite side to the hawk. If he is quick enough 

 to effect this uncaught, he is safe for that time; 

 otherwise he is carried off and placed among the 

 onlookers. And this is continued until the whole 

 brood of chickens has been captured by the hawk. 



Or, all but one of the players squat on the 

 ground, each behind his neighbour and clasping his 

 neighbour's neck with his arm, and all forming a long 

 line. The one man left out, representing an ant-eater, 

 creeps up to the foremost man and, after scratching on 

 the ground with his hands, seizes the foremost player by 

 his feet, throws him over his shoulders and so conveys him 

 head downward, across the playing ground and places 

 him among the spectators. This is no easy task when 

 it is a well-grown boy who is carried off; and even 

 when small boys are carried strength is displayed by 

 carrying off two of the victims at a time. It is an ant- 

 eater supplying himself with ants. 



Again, one boy squats in the centre of the playing 

 ground while all the others dance round him in wild 

 disorder and confusion, buzzing like a swarm of wasps, 

 and each one occasionally darting forward and rumpling 

 the hair of the sitter or otherwise worrying him. Mean- 

 while the single player bears this in patience and without 

 notice until he sees his chance, when, with the eagerness 

 of a man who sees and uses his opportunity of catching and 

 slaying a wasp which has long worried him, he seizes 

 and disposes of each one of his tormentors. And in this 

 way the doings of many other animals are represented. 



Again, some children's games are simply exhibitions 



