CRAMBO, OR COPYING VERSES, a rather intellectual game, is played in the following way :-Two sets of paper slips are furnished to the players, and each writes on one of the papers a question (if in rhyme, so much the better), and on the other any noun he thinks of. The slips are then collected in two hats or baskets; the nouns in one, and the questionslips in the other; and the contents of the hat are well mixed together. The players then take at random a paper a-piece out of each of the hats, so that every person has two slips-a question and a noun. The question must not only be answered by a verse written beneath it, but the noun drawn must be introduced into the verse, however foreign to the subject it may be. One of the players, for instance, may find such a question as this fall to his share, "Why did Napoleon run away at Waterloo?" and the word to introduce is "Polka." Now, to an ordinary capacity this would be a considerable puzzle, but a sharp-witted player (like the editor) would soon get out of the difficulty in something like the following manner :

"I cannot think a man would find it difficult to say,

Why Bonaparte at Waterloo thought best to run away.

The ball became unpleasant there, though 'twas kept up with fire,
And 'stead of 'Polka,' gallopades, which he did not admire."

Or suppose the question to be, "What time of year is best for travelling? and the word "Arithmetic ". -a rather incongruous union of ideas; the verse would be constructed on something of the following plan:

"When all the trees are budding, and all the hedges ring

With merry songs of little birds, in the pleasant days of spring;
"Tis then that I would travel through balmy days and nights,
For it passes my 'Arithmetic' to tell of spring's delights."

The lines need not be so long as in the specimens we have given: any metre, from the shortest to the longest, will do.

CENTO VERSES.-The first person writes down a line of poetry; for instance, "The curfew tolls the knell of parting day," and passes it on to the next, who must add a second line, of the same number of feet, and rhyming with the first. Say he puts, "Let Hercules himself do what he may." The third has an easier task; he puts a new line independently of rhyme. He dashes down, " And brave Prince William showed his lampblacked face;" while the fourth finishes the verse by adding, "You wronged yourself to write in such a case." The whole effusion will then read thus:

"The curfew tolls the knell of parting day,

Let Hercules himself do what he may;

And brave Prince William showed his lampblacked face,
You wronged yourself to write in such a case."

Sometimes the eight syllable verse is taken, but the two lines must rhyme as before. Verses of the following kind are frequently produced :—

"The way was long, the wind was cold,
Awake! awake! the flowers unfold;
My hat and stick will soon be here,
Feelings and thoughts to virtue dear."

Or here is anoner, veritably produced by the joint contributions of four distinguished youths at a social evening gathering

"Over the hills and far away,

Who well could bend the bow,
It was a friar of orders grey,
I'm old Bob Ridley, oh!

"The cold grass waves above his head.
A light on Marmion's visage spread,
I see them sit, a grisly band,

To all you ladies now on land."

One more, and we have done. In this specimen the first and third lines are open, and only the second and fourth are required to rhyme

"Ye mariners of England,

Sing heigh-ho the holly;

My head is sick, my heart is sair,
Away with melancholy."

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HUNT THE RING is a good substitute for the old game of "hunt the slipper," which has become almost impracticable in these days of crinoline. long tape, with a ring strung on it, is held by all the players as they stand in a circle, with one in the middle. They pass the ring rapidly from hand to hand, and it is the business of the player in the midst to hunt the ring, and try to seize the hands that hold it; while the other players, on their part, make his task more difficult by pretending to pass the ring to each other, when it may really be in quite another part of the circle. The person in whose hands the ring is found has to take his turn in the middle.

TRANSPOSITIONS.—A capital game to sharpen the wits, and one from which amusement for many hours may be extracted. The company sit round a table, and each person is provided with a pencil and a scrap of paper. Each one writes on his or her scrap a name of a city, country, river, mountain, or, if preferred, of some historical personage, transposing the letters so as to make the recognition of the word as difficult as possible, and accompanying it with a few written words of explanation; for instance, if a town is selected, the explanation must give some particulars of situation or circumstance, to set the guesser upon the right track; if a personage, the date at which he flourished and the country which gave him birth ought to be given. Then the papers are folded together and deposited in the middle of the table; and when they have been well mixed, a folded paper is drawn by each player, and those who cannot decipher the transposition which has fallen to their share are condemned to pay a forfeit. When all have been read, the game begins anew. The following transpositions of words may serve as hints to those who wish to introduce this very amusing pastime among their friends :

LS HEAI C L.-A famous hero of ancient days, who distinguished himself at a remarkable siege of a city, and whose achievements have been recorded in one of the noblest poems ever written in any language.

MYHETSRAEN.-A lake on whose banks a great battle was fought between the Romans and a powerful and vigilant enemy who had invaded their territories, and in which the Romans suffered a great defeat. AAJZOD B.-A town remarkable for two famous sieges during the Peninsular war, and for a great triumph gained by the British arms.

ACRROITPTNNIO A S.-A terrible habit which interferes with the due performance of our duties, and is sufficient, if unchecked, to ruin and completely nullify all the efforts of the unhappy mortal on whom it has taken hold.

A AS PLU.-A celebrated university town in Sweden; an ancient city which has produced many distinguished scholars and poets famous in Swedish history.

KD W SLNE AHT N.-A very celebrated sculptor of Danish, or rather Icelandic origin, whose works are now beginning to be known and appreciated not only by his countrymen, who have raised a museum to his memory, but also by all lovers of art throughout Europe. Some of his bas-reliefs are especially famous.

NNNM KA ER I.-The scene of a great battle between the Russians and the English and French, a few years since, in which, after an obstinate contest, the allied army remained masters of the field.

RRNOOGA E C B.-A learned monk who lived in the middle ages, and greatly distinguished himself by his scientific attainments and discoveries. Many of his labours were lost through the ignorant prejudice of the times, and he became the object of persecution rather than reward. (N.B.-In this transposition, two names, Christian and surname, are fused together.)

IIOOTKS P N W A.-A distinguished Polish leader, and member

of a royal house. He espoused the cause of the First Napoleon (who had deluded him with promises which were never fulfilled), faithfully followed the fortunes of the Emperor, and perished in a great battle in which Bonaparte was defeated.

IA AIBDG R L.-A distinguished patriot born at Nice, who, after experiencing the sharpest vicissitudes of fortune that ever fell to the lot of a human being, succeeded in accomplishing the great aim in pursuit of which he had laboured and suffered gloriously for many years, and who increased his glory by refusing to accept any reward for his invaluable services.

TMNDOI A I.-An emperor of Rome; very cruel and vindictive, suspicious and cowardly. He is said to have amused his leisure, in the palace where he had shut himself up, by transfixing flies with a sharp bodkin, for want of some nobler creature whereon to exercise his cruelty.

NNDDLS REA U.-A seaport town of England; a thriving place with a large and rising trade, chiefly in coals. Many ships are built here. SSEOA D.-A Russian corn port, and a place of considerable importance. It suffered severely in the Crimean war.

EEEOA APRNGDL L (three names fused into one). - An American poet and writer of fiction, distinguished alike for the great talents which made his name celebrated in England as well as in his native land, and for the deplorable failings which shattered his fortune and his health, resulting at last in his early death.

LLLFRRNйWW WEEGSTHYA DOOON (three names in one). Another American poet and novelist, equally distinguished for talent with the foregoing, but whose life has been one scene of industry and usefulness. He is particularly distinguished for his knowledge of languages. EIUAMBA R.-A French orator of tremendous power and fierce passions, who died at the very commencement of the greatest struggle of the people against the government recorded in French history.

NTWLALEN ISE.-A celebrated leader of the troops in the thirty years' war in Germany. He aspired to independent rule, was betrayed by his followers, and perished by assassination.

KTCHBEEO AASM T.-An ambitious and turbulent English priest, who caused much vexation and trouble to his sovereign, and was at last murdered in a very cruel manner by that sovereign's servants.

HHFZOE E AS R.-The scene of a celebrated victory of the British troops in India, in an arduous and dangerous war.

RLIIAM MOT N.-The scene of almost the last advantage gained in battle by a great conqueror who had faced the armies of Europe for many years, but was at last yielding to the repeated blows of misfortune and disaster.

Now that we have shown our friends so many ways of getting rid of their property under the guise of forfeits, it is but fair that we should give them a few directions concerning the methods by which they may win them back, and therefore we give, for the benefit of all players of games of forfeits, the following selections, from a large variety of tasks to be executed by those players whose gloves, handkerchiefs, and other properties have been laid under embargo for their owners' shortcomings during the game. The usual method of proceeding in redeeming forfeits is this:-A lady, who undertakes to cry the forfeits, sits on a chair or sofa, and another player, who is to pronounce the various sentences, sits or kneels on a low stool before her. One of the forfeited articles is held up by the lady on the sofa, over the head of the doomster, who must not see what it is. The following formula is then gone through:

"Here's a pretty thing, and a very pretty thing;

What shall the owner do, now, of this very pretty thing?

"Is it fine (belonging to a gentleman), or superfine (belonging to a lady)?! asks the pronouncer of sentences, and according to the reply he selects a task appropriate for a boy or a girl. The task having been selected, the article is held up to be owned.

Among the penalties most frequently inflicted are the following:-To make sense of the following lines:

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This task is performed by simply making a pause in the midst of each line; then they will read-"I saw a fish-pond-all on fire I saw a house-bow to a squire I saw a man-twelve feet high I saw a cottage," &c. &c.; and thus the passage of nonsense will resolve itself into sense.

TO PERFORM A GRECIAN STATUE.- This is a boy's forfeit, and he achieves his task by mounting on a chair or table, when each one of the company advances in turn and puts him in a different attitude, in which he must remain until it is altered by the next person. The fun consists in the ridiculous postures the unfortunate victim is compelled to assume by his tormentors.

TO PAY EACH PERSON IN COMPANY A COMPLIMENT, AND THEN SPOIL IT. This will exercise the quickness and wit of the performer, and enable him besides to take a little harm.ess revenge on those of his friends who have been harassing him during the evening. To one, for instance, he says, "You have a finer voice than any one in this present company; but," he adds, as the person addressed bows to the compliment, "it's a pity that you never give it any rest. To another, "You have certainly a great amount of wit, only you always exercise it at the expense of your friends;" and to a third, "Your eyes are certainly very bright, and is that the reason why they're always searching for their own reflection in the looking-glass?" and so on, until you have finished your round.

TO BRUSH OFF THE SIXPENCE.-This is a trick which may be played off on a novice, and will excite much merriment if well managed. The owner of the forfeit is told that he will have to shake off a sixpence from his forehead, and a coin is shown him. The sixpence is then inclosed in a damp handkerchief, and pressed hard against the forehead of the victim, who is not allowed to put his hands up to his head. Feeling the impression of the sixpence on his brow, he will have no doubt that it has been really fastened on, and, not suspecting its removal in the handkerchief, he will begin shaking his head from side to side, and even rubbing it against projecting pieces of furniture, to the delight of the spectators, in persevering efforts to get rid of what is not there.

BOW TO THE WITTIEST in the room, kneel to the prettiest, and kiss the one whom you love best.

TO PLAY THE JUDGE.-This consists in sitting on a chair in a conspicuous part of the room, and listening with the most perfect gravity to the complaints brought by the rest of the company, who try, by all kinds of ridiculous reports and artifices, to upset the stolidity of the learned gentleman on the

bench.

COMPLIMENTS UNDER DIFFICULTIES.-Pay six compliments to six different persons, avoiding the use of the letter in every one.

PRISON DIET.-A glass of water and a teaspoon are brought into the room, and the person who has to undergo "prison diet is blindfolded, and a teaspoonful of cold water administered to him by any of the others, until he guesses who is feeding him; which seldom happens, unless he be born under a fortunate star, till the glass of water is half empty.

REPEATING A PIECE OF POETRY, or telling an anecdote, is a very favourite way of redeeming a forfeit. Singing a song, either humorous or sentimental, is also admissible.

THE KNIGHT OF THE RUEFUL COUNTENANCE.-The knight whose forfeit is to be redeemed is marched slowly round the circle of company by his squire, who kisses the hand of every young lady (and the cheeks of all under a certain age), wiping the mouth of the knight after each salute. If the knight's countenance relaxes from rueful expression into a smile, his forfeit is not returned, until he has gone through some other task.

TO MAKE THREE SENTENCES, all the words in each of which must begin with the same letter. This task must be performed on the plan of the game of "One old ox opening oysters," given a few pages back. "How high his honour holds his haughty head," is one of the sentences frequently chosen. "Grave Gabriel Growler grew great garden greens," would do for another.

TO SPELL CONSTANTINOPLE.-This is a trick to puzzle a novice. Any one not acquainted with the ruse, will begin to spell the word syllable by syllable,