FAMILY FUN

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVII, Issue 3, 21 January 1909, Page 118

FAMILY FUN

A Trick with the Ring Finger. — Almost every one has tried to stretch out the ,ring finger of either hand. One' ■ can straighten out the first, second, and ■ even the f oxirth. finger, but there is always difficulty with- the third. An attempt will show_ that . it bends downward or else takes the fourth finger with it. Yet one can stretch "out the ' third finger with a little bit of aid, unknown to the on- J looker. Take an ordinary knitting-needle, and slip it up the sleeve. When ready for the trick, slip the needle under the ring. The third finger will stand out straight. Ask. the rest of the company to do likewise, and if you. can successfully slip the knitting-needle back to its hidingplace unseen, you will certainly cause surprise. A Home-made Barometer. — This little instrument is called the hygroscope, and is simple in the extreme. It consists of a small piece of wood, a. bit of string, and v an ' iron weight. The weight is attached to the string,, the other end of which is fastened to a nail driven into the top of a board, the weight hanging down exactly like a. carpenter's plumb. When rain threatens, moisture in the air dampens the string, and the weight naturally causes it to stretch — slightly or considerably, according to 7"how moist the air is. As the string stretches, the weight, of course, sinks.. When this occurs, and the^vyeight appears to have gone down as far as it can go — which will happen only in very rainy weather — it is necessary to mark the b.oard. Then, as -the air becomes drier and drior and the weight gradually rises as the string shrinks, the various grades may be marked off until, finally, in very dry weather the other extreme is reached, and also marked off. The ■ hygroscope is then complete. Sometimes catgut is used, but common string is found to be far more sensitive .to , air conditions, and therefore quicker to register the change.