J. F. Campbell Collection > Popular rhymes of Scotland

170 POPULAR RHYMES OF SCOTLAND.
The object, after all, being to cause the animal to wrig-gle
for their amusement.
THE OYSTER.
The herring loves the merry moonlight,
The mackerel loves the wind ;
But the oyster loves the dredging-sang,
For they come of a gentle kind.
Scott puts the above into the mouth of Elspeth Muckle-
backet in ' The Antiquary.' A dredging-song, a strange
jumble of nonsense, is given in Herd's Collection. One
couplet of it presents the reason for the use of such dit-
ties—
The oysters are a gentle kin'.
They winna tak' unless ye sing.
THE MUSSEL.
The fact of the mussel not being in season in summer, is
indicated by —
When the pea's in bloom,
The mussel's toom ;
that is, empty.
THE LADY-BIRD.
This pretty small insect, Coccinellu septem-punctata, seems
to have excited the imagination of the young in all
countries where it exists. In Germany, where it is called
Marienwurmchen (the Virgin Mary's chafer), nearly a
translation of our own appellation, there is a beautiful
song to it, to be found in the preface to German Popular
Stories, by the late Edgar Taylor. The Scottish youth are
accustomed to throw it into the air, singing at the same
time —
Lady, Lady Landers,
Lady, Lady Landers,
Take up your coats about your head,
And fly away to Flanders !
Or, in Kincardineshire —
King, King GoUowa,
Up your wings and fly awa' ;
Over land and over sea,
Tell me where my love can be !