The Traditional Children's Games of England Scotland
& Ireland In Dictionary Form - Volume 2

With Tunes(sheet music), Singing-rhymes(lyrics), Methods Of Playing with diagrams and illustrations.

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	88                          PUSS IN THE CORNER
	each girl has been all round the circle, and has been turned or danced with by each boy. In the Wolstanton version (Miss Bush), after singing the first four lines, the children fall behind one another, march round, clapping their hands and singing; at the seventh line the)' all join in couples and galop round very quickly to the end. When they finish, the girls stand at the side of the boys in couples, and change places every time they go round until each girl has partnered each boy. At Hexham there is rather more of the regular dance about the game at the beginning. At the fourth line they set to partners and swing round, the girls changing places at the end, and continuing until they have been all round each time with a different partner. (c) This game seems of kin to the old-fashioned country dances. Miss Bush writes that this game was introduced into the school playground from Derbyshire a few years ago, and is sung to a simple tune. Puss in the Corner The children stand at fixed points: one stands in the middle
		and chants, "Poor puss wants a corner." The others beckon with the fore - finger, and call­ing, " Puss, puss," run from point to point. Puss runs also to one of the vacant spaces.
	The one left out becomes puss.—Monton, Lancashire (Miss Dendy). The players place themselves each in some " coign of van­tage," as the play place allows; one player in the middle is " out." Those in the corners change places with each other at choice, calling, " Puss, puss, puss," to attract each other's attention. The one who is out watches his opportunity to slip into a vacant corner, and oblige some one else to be "out." A favourite game in the streets of Market Drayton.—Burne's Shropshire Folk-lore, p. 523.