Baby's or toddler's spoon

This sterling silver baby spoon has a handle that curves back on itself completely, forming a loop. The word 'baby' is written on it in raised lettering. The bowl has the words "Hey diddle diddle" and a scene depicting the actions described in the Mother Goose rhyme: "Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle / The cow jumped over the moon / The little dog laughed to see such sport / And the dish ran away with the spoon." The spoon was found in 1971 during excavation of the southeast wall line at Historic Fort Snelling. The excavation trench ran from the South Battery (also known as the Hexagonal Tower) to the officers' latrines. This area was used as a dump and contained a wide variety of artifacts