erson with catkins in his buttonhole, _Hazell's
Annual_. But simpler devices are just as interesting.

In other guessing competitions the preparations are the affair of the
household which gives the party. It is with these that we are
concerned here. Giving prizes certainly adds to the interest of them.

Guessing Quantities

Several articles of number are placed on a table, say a box of
matches, a bag of beans, a reel of cotton or ball of string, a large
stone, a stick, a photograph, and various coins with the date side
turned down. Each of the company is provided with a card on which
these articles are written, and the object is to guess as nearly as
possible something about each; for instance, how many matches there
are in the box, how many beans in the bag, the length of the string,
the weight of the stone, the length of the stick, the age of the
person in the photograph, and the date of each coin. The right answers
are, of course, ascertained beforehand and written on a card in the
hostess's possession.

Observation

The real name of this game may be something else, but "Observation"
explains it. A small table is covered with a variety of articles, to
the extent of some twenty or thirty. It is then covered with a cloth
and placed in the middle of the room. The players stand round it and
the cloth is removed for a minute (or longer). During that time the
aim of each player is to note and remember as many of the things as
possible. The cloth is then put on again and the players have five
minutes in which to write the fullest list they can of the objects
seen.

Scents

A more puzzling competition is to place a row of large bottles on the
table, all numbered, at the bottom of each of which is a small amount
of liquid bearing a noticeable scent. Some may be toilet scents, and
others medicines or essences used in cooking. A card numbered
according to the bottles is given to each player, and the game is to
guess as many of the scents as possible.

The Topsy-Turvy Concert

The performers in this concert, who should be of nearly the same size,
take their places behind a sheet stretched across the room at the
height of their chins. They then put stockings on their arms and boots
on their hands (or this may be done before they come into the room),
and stand looking over the sheet at the company, with their hands and
arms carefully hidden. The concert begins by the singing of the first
verse of a song. Imme