I remember, when I was a child, between seventy and eighty years ago, being told that the stones could be successfully counted only by laying a loaf of bread beside each. To mark each stone by something to prevent one being missed or counted twice over seems natural ; but why a loaf of bread? [...] I think it probable that I had this from a nursery-maid who came from Mere in Wiltshire, and who had a taste for the marvellous.
O. Fisher.
Harlton, Cambridge, October 19.
From volume 64 of Nature, Oct. 31st, 1901.
Sounds like the nursery maid might have had a taste for bread, too.
Now all I can think about is the most recent BBC2 bake-off episode. Sweet dough recipes mmm. I'd take some chelsea buns for counting.
(no, let me preempt the pun. rock buns)
Ha ha! No wonder all these stones are "countless", if someone eats the buns halfway through the count.