articles of given dimensions into a box of known dimensions, are, I
believe, of quite recent introduction. At least I cannot recall any
example in the books of the old writers. One would rather expect to find
in the toy shops the idea presented as a mechanical puzzle, but I do not
think I have ever seen such a thing. The nearest approach to it would
appear to be the puzzles of the jig-saw character, where there is only
one depth of the pieces to be adjusted.


362.--THE WASSAIL BOWL.

One Christmas Eve three Weary Willies came into possession of what was
to them a veritable wassail bowl, in the form of a small barrel,
containing exactly six quarts of fine ale. One of the men possessed a
five-pint jug and another a three-pint jug, and the problem for them was
to divide the liquor equally amongst them without waste. Of course, they
are not to use any other vessels or measures. If you can show how it was
to be done at all, then try to find the way that requires the fewest
possible manipulations, every separate pouring from one vessel to
another, or down a man's throat, counting as a manipulation.


363.--THE DOCTOR'S QUERY.

"A curious little point occurred to me in my dispensary this morning,"
said a doctor. "I had a bottle containing ten ounces of spirits of wine,
and another bottle containing ten ounces of water. I poured a quarter of
an ounce of spirits into the water and shook them up together. The
mixture was then clearly forty to one. Then I poured back a
quarter-ounce of the mixture, so that the two bottles should again each