NINE PINS.
The toy-box containing Nine Pins, for playing the game of that name, together with the requisite number of balls, is to be purchased for a very trifling sum. Inasmuch as both pins and balls have to be turned in a lathe, it is almost impossible for any lad with an ordinary chest of tools to make them for himself, and, indeed, the game of Nine Pins is not a game usually played at by lads of an age able to make their own toys—it is a very small child's game. The game is played in two ways, either by throwing or bowling the balls at the pins, or by attaching a ball to a rope or string suspended from the ceiling, and so swinging the ball at the pins.
The pins may be set up in any manner agreeable to the players, either in a line, circle, or in the same way as in the game of skittles, in the form shown in the diagram. The number of pins knocked down counts towards game, and the player who can knock all down in the fewest throws or swings of the ball wins.