Evening star., 1896-09-28
BABY BUNTING.
Prof. Mnson's Query AS to the Verse
Answered.

0ueEy ~ ahS VSASV
Answered.
Several letters have come to The Star
in answer to Prof o. T. Mason's query,
prorounded in Saturdays issue, with ref
erence to the origin of the nursery rhyme
of Baby Bunting" On other occasions
Prof. Mason has obtained from Star read
ers some valuable additions to his stock of
folklore, and 1t was his success in these
ventures, doubtless, that led him to appeal
through The Star for light on the subject
of Baby Bunting"
One of the letters to The Star. signed
"T. r." Is as follows:
THE nursery rhyme quoted by Prof.
Mason In Saturdays Star was sung TO
English babies more than sixty years ago
to my personal knowledge. 1t Is one OF
those old country rhymes handed down
from mother to daughter from time i'm
memorial and may have been crooned py
Mrs. Shakespeare as she rocked baby VIII
liam to sleep. The north of England YER
sion, as l remember it. is as follows:
Bye. baby bunting,
Daddy'S gone a-hunting.
To get a little lamb skin
To wrap baby bunting in
In a somewhat recent edition OF Mother
Goose's Nursery Rhymes (New York, 1856,
1t is thus given:
Bye, baby bunting.
Daddy's gone a-hunting:
To get little rabbit skin
To wrap his baby bunting in.
Further personal testimony is furnished
by a correspondent, whose letter, signed
&C." follows:
1.-The verse referred 70 by your CORES
pondent in Saturdays issue was sung to us
by our English mother and ran thus:
"'Bye baby bunting,
Papa's gone a-hunting,
To get little rabbit skin
To wrap the baby up in d"
Another CORES pom lent. signing his COM
munication John Spratt," takes a humcr-
Gus view of the inquiry and writes:
Il have not had very frequent oppor-
tunitieS to ponder Ger many quaint and
curious volume of forgotten lore, still /
have some slight knowledge OF nursery
rhymes. etc, having read Mother Goose s
melodies and many others of 4 like char
liberation and mature consideration which
its Importance demands. am clearly Of the
opinion that get is the proper word to be
used, and not bring"
Had Baby Bunting's pappy Intended to
purchase a robe ,.e ,H.t,uld have gone where
such things are sold. But We are told he
went hunting for rabbit-skin robe He
doubtless took his dog and gun and went
out to the woods where the rabbits live
and shot a sufficient number of them to
make a robe for his child 1t surely re-
quired more than one skin to make robe
unless the baby was very diminutive one
AS to his second interrogatory Whether
such a rhyme ever sung to babies In
Europe? l am unable to give him any in
formation. bat do know that if the Bunt-
ing family lived in Australia the father OF
the baby Of all reports are true) had q
splendid chance, not only to go a-hunting
but to get all the rabbits skins he Nigh,
want to make robes or anything else out of
I'm Mother Gcose's Melodies We read tins
following:
"'Who killed cock robin?
/, said the sparrow,
With my bow and arrow,
l killed cock robin
'Wiil Mr.. Mason or some one of YOU
readers be kind enough Of they CAM to tel
me where the sparrow procured that bow
and arrow? Did he make it or was 1t fur
nisned by a friend? Was the killing o
cock robin premeditated murder, or {
jUstifiable homicide? Was the sparrow
ever arrested, indicted and tried for tn,
offense: If so, what was the verdict?"