PUZZLES AND TRICKS

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22307, 22 January 1938, Page 3 (Supplement)

PUZZLES AND TRICKS

TO ELECTRIFY GLASS

Take a piece of glass and warm it well before the fire, then place il

upon two books, one at each end. Underneath the glass put a little bran. Rub the upper side of the glass with a piece of silk (an old tiJk handkerchief is the best thing), and you will see the bran dance up and down under the glass because the glass has become electrified for the time and has the power of attracting small, light objects.

FROG ON STRINGS

Get several pieces of stout cardboard, and on each of them draw the figure of a frog the shape and size as shown in the illustration. Cut them out with a sharp knife. •Each frog must have a hole in it at the point shown. Pass through each frog four or five yards of stout string, and tie a

knot at each end to prevent the frog from coming off. Tie the strings to the legs of chairs rather below the level of the hole when the frog is standing upright. Put the frogs close up to the legs of the chairs, and lay them flat on their faces. Each competitor now takes hold of the free end of his string and has to work the frog along the floor by giving the string up-and-down jerks while pulling It taut. When the frog arrives at the end of the string it must be turned over without being touched, and sent back to the starting point. The frog which arrives there first is the winner.

THIS WAY!

Hand two players a small piece of paper and instruct them to stand on it, so that they cannot touch each other. Of course this cannot be done until the paper is spread in a doorway with the door closed between the two players.

THE QUARRELSOME RAILWAYS

Five competing railway companies decided to place termini in a certain small town. But land was dear, and after much negotiation they were able to secure sites only as shown in the illustration.

But none of the companies would grant any of its competitors running powers over its lines, and, as the municipal authorities decided that all five lines should enter the city side by side, the engineers found themselves confronted with the following problem. How is each line to reach its destination without crossing any of the competitors' tracks?

LOOK!

Hold the page in front of your eyes. Look hard at this picture and you will be surprised to see the circles moving.

TEN QUESTIONS

1. What ran up the clock, in "Hickory Dickory Dock?" 2. Who had so many children that she didn't know what to do? 3. What did the Three Little Kit-

tens lose? 4. Who slept on a hillside for 20

years? 5. Who jumped over the candle-

stick? 6. "What did Tom the Piper's son • steal? 7. What sat down beside Little

Miss MufTet? 8. Who put the kettle on? 9. What did the cow jump over? 10. Where did little Bey 'Blue go fast asleep?

MAGIC HANDKERCHIEF KNOTS

To do this trick you need three silk handkerchiefs of different colours. Show the handkerchiefs separately and throw one over the other upon the table. Pick up all three and toss them into the. air, and as they come down they will be knotted together at one end. Toss them into the air again, and when they come down the handkerchiefs will be separate. To fasten the handkerchiefs together

in such a manner that they appear to be knotted is simple. Have a small rubber band slipped over your fingers, and in picking up the three handkerchiefs let the rubber band slip over the corners before tossing the handkerchiefs in the air, and they will appear to be tied together. Catch the handkerchiefs as they come down and slip off the rubber band. When you toss them again they will come down separately.

RIDDLEMEREE

My first is in eel but not in sole. My second is in rain but not in

snow. My third is in night but not in day. My fourth is in east but not in

west. My fifth is in sea but not in land. My sixth is in street but not in

road. Mv seventh is in someone we all ought to know. (Answer: Ernest.) —PATRICIA DONNELLY, A.8.H., P.8.H.. L.8.H.. A. 8.. 35 St. James avenue.

THE FISH AND THE GLOBE

Hold the page so that the vertical line in the sketch L> quite close

to the nose. Then look very intently at the fish at the left-hand side. You will be surprised to see that the fish appears to move until if you watch long enough, you will finally see it in the globe of water.

TEST YOUR WITS

The drawing shows several styles in which wire is made into fences or screens. Answer the questions

below as to which style or styles would be appropriate for the purposes mentioned. Allow two minutes for the test: •<1) Which would be best for a fence round a school playground? <2) Which for an ornamental fence round a flower bed?

(3) Which for keeping grazing animals in a pasture? (4) Which for the back on a

tennis lawn? (5) Which for protection against

insects? (6) Which for enclosing a hen house?

Plaza Birthday Competition

It your birthday is next week you may enter for the Birthday Puzzle. Tickets for the Plaza will be awarded girls and boys sending in the correct solution. Mark your letter "Birthday Competition" and send it to Lady Gay enclosing a stamped addressed envelope for your ticket. A halfpenny stamp will do