"The Whistling Thief", also known as "When Pat Came Over the Hill" is an English air (6/8 time) from Northumberland, England in G Major. It is usually played AABB. Williamson describes it as "a wild jig from Northumberland". He does not mention lyrics. He does pair it with "The Gentleman Thief" in the Tunes section. "The Whistling Thief" was a popular song by the multi-talented Irish writer and composer Samuel Lover (1797-1868), written around 1839. The words given here were printed in a Philadelphia 19th century broadside. The story is similar to "Whistle, Daughter, Whistle", also in this section. It was printed in Kerr's Merry Melodies, vol. 3 (1880’s), Williamson's English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish Fiddle Tunes (1976). I learned it from Williamson.