The Magician's Own Book, or, the Whole Art of Conjuring / Being a complete hand-book of parlor magic, and containing over one thousand optical, chemical, mechanical, magnetical, and magical experiments, amusing transmutations, astonishing sleights and subtleties, celebrated card deceptions, ingenious tricks with numbers, curious and entertaining puzzles, together with all the most noted tricks of modern performers.

by George Arnold; Frank Cahill

Twenty-four nuns were arranged in a convent by night, by a sister, to count nine each way, as in the diagram. Four of them went out for a walk by moonlight. How were the remainder placed in the square so as still to count nine each way? The four who went out returned, bringing with them four friends; how were they all placed still to count nine each way, and thus to deceive the sister, as to whether there were 20, 24, 28, or 82, in the square?

25. THE HORSE SHOE PUZZLE.

Cut a piece of apple or turnip into the shape of a horse shoe, stick six pins in it for nails, and then, by two cuts, divide it into six parts, each to contain one pin.

26. THE CARD SQUARE.

With eight pieces of card or paper, of the shape of Fig. a, four of Fig. b, and four of Fig. c, and of proportionate sizes, form a perfect square.

27. THE DOG PUZZLE.