Nursery Rhyme. DLXXVII. Natural History.

    I had two pigeons bright and gay,
    They flew from me the other day;
    What was the reason they did go?
    I cannot tell for I do not know.

    The dove says coo, coo, what shall I do?
    I can scarce maintain two.
    Pooh, pooh, says the wren, I have got ten,
    And keep them all like gentlemen!

    I had a little hen, the prettiest ever seen,
    She washed me the dishes, and kept the house clean:
    She went to the mill to fetch me some flour;
    She brought it home in less than an hour;
    She baked me my bread, she brew'd me my ale,
    She sat by the fire and told many a fine tale.

    Once I saw a little bird,
    Come hop, hop, hop;
    So I cried, little bird,
    Will you stop, stop, stop?
    And was going to the window,
    To say how do you do?
    But he shook his little tail,
    And far away he flew.

    See, saw, Margery Daw,
    The old hen flew over the malt house,
    She counted her chickens one by one,
    Still she missed the little white one,
    And this is it, this is it, this is it.

    Leg over leg,
        As the dog went to Dover;
    When he came to a stile,
        Jump he went over.