The toy known as Jack-in-the-Box is familiar to all, and is always the source of much fun; it may be readily made by any ingenious lad who will carefully follow the accompanying description:—
The toy consists of a box containing a figure of some comical shape. Inside the figure a piece of wire, known as the spring, is coiled up, corkscrew-wise, like the spring within a carriage candle lamp. The box should be made so that when the lid is closed the wire or spring within the figure is compressed; on the removal of the pressure from the lid the wire regains its original form, and out springs the figure. The figure is sometimes secured to the bottom of the box, and sometimes attached to the side by a long piece of string, and then when the lid is suddenly unfastened, Jack will spring out of his hiding-place and fly up high into the air.
JAPANESE FAN.
See "[Magic Fan]."
JERK STRAWS.
This is a rough version of the game of Spillikins, or Spelicans, more fully described further on. Jerk-straws, Jack-straws, or Juggling-sticks, as they are indifferently called, are a number of small rounded sticks, forty or fifty or more, about twice as long and of the same thickness as a common Tandstickor match. These are thrown loosely in a confused heap upon the table, and the players have to remove them, one by one, by means of a longer stick, hooked or pointed as desired, without, in the process of removing one stick, touching or disturbing any other. The first player removes as many as he can in this way, but as soon as he disturbs any other than the one to be removed, in the slightest degree, or touches any other one, he gives place to the next player, and so on. At the end of the game, the player has won who has secured the largest number of sticks.
Magic Fan.
LE DIABLE.
See "[Flying Cones]."