(4) The Six Squares Puzzle.—Take seventeen pieces of stick three inches long and arrange them as in [Fig. 3]. The puzzle is, by taking away five sticks, to leave three perfect squares, and three only, these three squares to be three of those originally formed, and all the same size. To do this take the two sticks from the two top corners and the middle stick at the bottom.
Fig. 4.
(5) The Puzzle Box.—Take six visiting-cards and bend them as in [Fig. 4]. The puzzle is to put them together in the form of a box, making them fasten each other. The box will bear rough usage. This is done by fitting the cards together as in [Fig. 4], when they will be found to fasten each other.
If you make a small hole in one of the sides and get one of your smoking friends to fill the box with smoke, on tapping gently the side opposite to the hole a beautifully perfect ring of smoke will issue from the hole, and you can produce any number you like.
II.—Thought-guessing.
This game is not the same played by Irving Bishop a few years ago when he pretended to read the number of a bank-note held by a gentleman, but is quite as easy. This game was shown me by a friend home from Penang, where it is played a great deal, although not of foreign origin. It is played as follows:—One of the company goes out of the room while those remaining decide on something to be thought of; it may be something in the room or some idea suggested by something in the room. When this is decided upon, the absentee is admitted, and he has to guess what was thought of by asking questions, to which he only receives answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’ He may ask any question that will help him. The first question should be, ‘Is it a substance?’ ‘No.’ ‘Is it an abstract idea?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Is the thing that suggested the idea in the room?’ ‘Yes.’ He should first localise the thing suggesting the idea by dividing the room by imaginary lines in all directions, and asking first if it is on one side, and then if it is on the other, always framing the question in such a manner that it can be answered by ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ as otherwise no answer will be given. The game allows of great ingenuity in selecting the idea and also in working up to it in finding it out. One of the ideas I had to guess once was this—the quantity of silex or flint in the cane of a chair on which I was sitting. And another was this—the curve formed by the head of the hammer when giving the last stroke to a particular nail in the wall. These look difficult, but if properly managed will be found to be guessable. The game improves by practice, as after two or three times you will be able to find out ideas that would at first have appeared impossible.
III.—An Improved Ring Puzzle.—By Herr Meyer.
Among the many wire puzzles which I have seen at different times, I was pleased with one which had two loops. I therefore added a third and subsequently a fourth, and was successful in making the puzzle more interesting. Any boy can easily construct the toy of iron-wire with a pair of pliers from the accompanying [illustration].
