Fig. 19.—Showing egg hanging on wire.
New-laid Eggs
Here is a very handy method of discovering whether an egg is fresh or not.
Pass an elastic band around the egg, and hang it upon a wire, as shown in [Fig. 19]. Twist the egg and band round several times, and then release it, when the band will rapidly untwist with the egg. If the latter be quite fresh, it will stop almost immediately, but if it happens to be rather older than is desirable, it will twist and untwist, reversing several times before it finally comes to rest. This applies to eggs which have been boiled—indeed to any egg that is “set.”
A Will-power Test
This is scarcely a trick, as it really serves to prove which of two persons has the stronger will-power.
Place a door-key between the pages in the middle of a book in such a way that the handle projects an inch or two, as in [Fig. 20]. Pass a piece of string round the book, and draw into a tight knot, so that the key is held firmly in its place.
Now, let the persons who desire to test the strength of their wills support the book by the ring of the key resting on their extended forefingers, as in the [illustration]. If one person wills the book to turn from right to left, and the other wills it to turn in the opposite direction, it will be found that the book obeys whichever party is possessed of the stronger will.
