Outdoor Sports and Games

The rest try to shove him from his position and to hold it successfully against all comers themselves. The game, if played fairly, simply consists in fair pulls and pushes without grasping clothing, but if played roughly it is almost a “free-for-all” fight.

LACROSSE

A game of ball played by two opposing teams of twelve players each. The lacrosse field is a level piece of ground with net or wire goals at each end. The players strive to hurl the ball into their opponents’ goal by means of a lacrosse stick or “crosse.” This is a peculiar bent stick with a shallow gut net at one end. It somewhat resembles a tennis racket, but is more like a snowshoe with a handle. The game originated with the Indians and is much played in Canada.

In playing, the ball must not be touched with the hands, but is hurled from one player to another by the “lacrosses” until it is possible to attempt for a goal. It is also passed when a player is in danger of losing the ball.

Lacrosse sticks cost from two to five dollars each and are made of hickory with rawhide strings. The players wear specially padded gloves to protect the knuckles. The usual uniform for lacrosse is a tight-fitting jersey and running trousers.

LAWN BOWLS

This is a very old game and of great historic importance. The famous Bowling Green in New York City was named from a small park where the game was played by New Yorkers before the Revolution. The game is played with wooden balls five inches in diameter and painted in various gay colours. Usually lignum vitae is the material used. They are not perfectly round but either slightly flattened at the poles into an “oblate spheroid” or made into an oval something like a modern football. Each player uses two balls, which are numbered. A white ball, called a “jack ball,” is then thrown or placed at the end of the bowling green or lawn and the players in turn deliver their balls or “bowl” toward the jack. The whole game consists in placing your ball as near to the jack as possible and of knocking away the balls of your opponents. It is also possible to strike the jack and to drive it nearer to where the balls of your side are lying. When all the players have bowled, the two balls nearest the jack each count a point for the side owning it. The game if played by sides is somewhat different from a two-handed contest. The main point first is to deliver the ball as near to the jack as possible and then to form a barrier or “guard” behind it with succeeding balls to block those of your adversaries. Sometimes the Jack is placed in the middle of the green and the teams face each other and bowl from opposite ends. A green is about seventy feet square with closely cropped grass. Four players form a “rink” and are named “leader,” “second,” “third,” and “skip” or captain. The position from which the balls are delivered is called the “footer.” It is usually a piece of cloth or canvas three feet square.

LAWN BOWLING

This game is similar in every respect to indoor bowling except that no regular alley is used. A net for a backstop is necessary. The pins are set upon a flat surface on a lawn and the players endeavour to knock down as many pins as possible in three attempts. The scoring is the same as in indoor bowling. To knock down all ten pins with one ball is called a “strike,” in two attempts it is a “spare.” In the score, the strike counts ten for the player and in addition also whatever he gets on the next two balls. Likewise he will count ten for a spare, but only what he gets on one ball for a bonus. As a consequence the maximum or perfect score in bowling is 300, which is a series of ten strikes and two more attempts in which he knocks down all the pins. In lawn bowling the scores are very low as compared with the indoor game, where good players will often average close to 200 on alleys where they are accustomed to bowl. Lawn bowling is a different game from lawn bowls, which is described in a preceding paragraph.

LAWN HOCKEY

This game is played on a field a little smaller than a football field, being 110 yards long and from 50 to 60 yards wide. The ball used is an ordinary cricket ball. The goals are two upright posts 12 feet apart and with a crossbar 7 feet from the ground. Eleven men on a side constitute a full team, but the game may be played with a fewer number. The positions are known as three forwards, five rushes, two backs or guards, and the goal tender.

The object of the game is very simple, being to drive the ball between your opponents’ goals. The ordinary ice hockey stick will be satisfactory to play with. The principal thing to remember in lawn hockey is not to commit a “foul,” the penalty for which is a “free hit” at the ball by your opponents. It is a foul to raise the stick above the shoulders in making a stroke, to kick the ball (except for the goal tender), to play with the back of the stick, to hit the ball other than from right to left, and any form of rough play such as tripping, pushing, kicking, or striking.

Lawn hockey is an excellent game and is really the old game of “shinney” or “shinty” played scientifically and with definite rules.

LAWN SKITTLES

From a stout pole which is firmly fixed in the ground a heavy ball is suspended by means of a rope fastened to the top of the pole. Two flat pieces of stone or concrete are placed on opposite sides of the pole. The game is played with nine-pins, which are set up on one stone, the player standing on the other and endeavouring by hurling the ball to strike down a maximum number of pins. Usually he has three chances and the number of pins knocked down constitutes his score.

LAWN TENNIS (SEE CHAPTER ON TENNIS)

A game of ball played on a level piece of ground, called a court, by two, three, or four persons. When two play the game is called “singles,” and when four play it is called “doubles.” The game is played with a rubber ball, and rackets made by stringing gut on a wooden frame. The dimensions of a tennis court are 36 by 78 feet. In addition to this, space must be allowed for the players to run back, and it is customary to lay out a court at least 50 by 100 feet to give plenty of playing space. The court is divided into various lines, either by means of lime applied with a brush or by tapes. Midway between the two rear lines and in the centre of the court a net is stretched, supported by posts.

In playing one of the players has the serve—that is, he attempts to strike the ball so that it will go over the net and into a specified space on the opposite side of the net. His opponent then attempts to return the serve—that is, to strike the ball either on the fly or the first bound and knock it back over the net somewhere within the playing space as determined by the lines. In this way the ball is volleyed or knocked back and forth until one of the players fails either to return it over the net or into the required space. To fail in this counts his opponents a point. Four points constitute a game except where both sides have obtained three points, in which case one side to win must secure two points in succession.

The score is not counted as 1, 2, 3, and 4, but 15, 30, 40, game. When both sides are at 40 it is called “deuce.” At this point a lead of two is necessary to win. The side winning one of the two points at this stage is said to have the “advantage,” or, as it is expressed, “vantage in” or “vantage out,” depending upon whether it is the side of the server or his opponents, the server’s score always being called first.

A set of tennis consists of enough games to permit one side to win six, or if both are at five games won, to win two games over their opponents.

LAST TAG

There are a great many games of “tag” that are familiar to boys and girls. One of the common games is “last tag,” which simply means that a boy tags another and makes him “it” before leaving the party on his way home. It is the common boys’ method of saying “good-bye” when leaving school for home. The principal rule of last tag is that there is “no tagging back.” The boy who is “it” must not attempt to tag the one who tagged him, but must run after some one else. It is a point of honour with a boy not to be left with “last tag” against him, but he must try to run some one else down, when he is then immune and can watch the game in safety, or can leave for home with no blot on his escutcheon.

LUGE-ING

A form of coasting very much practised in Switzerland at the winter resorts where the sled used is similar to our American child’s sled with open framework instead of a toboggan or the more modern flexible flyer which is generally used by boys in America.

MARATHON RACE

A long distance race, held in connection with the Olympic Games and named from a famous event in Greek history. The accepted Marathon distance is 26 miles, 385 yards. The race was won at the Olympic Games held in England in 1908 by John Hayes, an American, in 2 hours 44 minutes 20 2-5 seconds.

OLYMPIC GAMES

The Olympic Games are open to the athletes of the world. The following events are contested for:

• 60-metre run
• 100-metre run
• 200-metre run
• 400-metre run
• 800-metre run
• 1500-metre run
• 110-metre hurdles
• 200-metre hurdles
• 400-metre hurdles
• 3200-metre steeplechase
• 2500-metre steeplechase
• 4000-metre steeplechase
• Running long jump
• Running high jump
• Running triple jump
• Standing broad jump
• Standing high jump
• Standing triple jump
• Pole vault
• Shot put
• Discus throwing
• Throwing 16-pound hammer
• Throwing 56-pound weight
• Marathon race
• Weight lifting, one hand
• Weight lifting, two hands
• Dumb-bell competition
• Tug-of-war
• Team race
• Team race 3 miles
• Five-mile run
• Throwing stone
• Throwing javelin
• Throwing javelin held in middle
• Penthathlon
• 1500-metre walk
• 3500-metre walk
• 10-mile walk
• Throwing discus Greek style

MARBLES

There is a large variety of games with marbles and the expressions used are universal. Boys usually have one shooter made from agate which they call a “real.” To change the position of the shooter is called “roundings,” and to object to this or to any other play is expressed by the word “fen.” The common game of marbles is to make a rectangular ring and to shoot from a line and endeavour to knock the marbles or “mibs” of one’s opponents out of the square. A similar game is to place all the mibs in a line in an oval and to roll the shooter from a distance. The one coming nearest to the oval has “first shot” and continues to shoot as long as he drives out a marble and “sticks” in the oval himself. Reals are often supposed to have superior sticking qualities. Playing marbles “for keeps” is really gambling and should be discouraged. The knuckle dabster is a small piece of cloth or leather that boys use to rest the hand on when in the act of shooting. The best kind of a “dabster” is made from a mole’s skin.

NAMES OF MARBLES

The common marbles used by boys everywhere are called mibs, fivers, commies, migs, megs, alleys, and dubs. A very large marble is a bumbo and a very small one a peewee. Glass marbles are called crystals and those made of agate are called reals. The choicest real is supposed to be green and is called a “mossic” or “moss real.”

MUMBLETY PEG

This game is played with a penknife. A piece of turf is usually the best place to play. Various positions for throwing the knife are tried by each player, following a regular order of procedure, until he misses, when the knife is surrendered to the next in turn. When he receives the knife each player tries the feat at which he failed before. The last player to accomplish all the feats has the pleasure of “pulling the peg,” The peg consists of a wedge-shaped piece of wood the length of the knife blade which is driven into the ground by the back of the knife and must be pulled by the teeth of the unfortunate one who was last to complete the necessary feats. The winner has the honour of driving the peg, usually three blows with his eyes open and three with them closed. If he succeeds in driving it out of sight the feat is considered especially creditable and the loser is greeted with the cry, “Root! Root!” which means that he must remove the sod and earth with his teeth before he can get a grip on the peg top. There are about twenty-four feats or “figures” to be gone through in a game of mumblety peg, throwing the knife from various positions both right and left-handed. In each feat the successful result is measured by having the knife stick into the ground at such an angle so that there is room for two fingers to be inserted under the end of the handle without disturbing the knife.

ONE OLD CAT

This is a modified game of baseball that may be played by three or four. Generally there is only one base to run to, and besides the batter, pitcher, and catcher the rest of the players are fielders. Any one catching a fly ball puts the batter out and takes his turn at bat, or in another modification of the game, when one is put out each player advances a step nearer to batsman’s position, the pitcher going in to bat, the catcher becoming pitcher, first fielder becoming catcher, and so on, the batsman becoming “last fielder.”

PASS IT

This game may be played on a lawn. Four clothes baskets are required as well as a variety of objects of various sizes and kinds, such as spools of thread, pillows, books, matches, balls, pencils, umbrellas, pins, and so on. Two captains are chosen and each selects a team, which stands in line facing each other. Two of the baskets are filled with the various articles and these two baskets are placed at the right hand of the two captains. The empty baskets are on the opposite ends of the line. At a signal the captains select an object and pass it to the next in line. He in turn passes it to his left and finally it is dropped into the empty basket. If the object should be dropped in transit it must go back to the captain and be passed down the line again. Two umpires are desirable, who can report the progress of the game to their own side as well as keep an eye on their opponents.

PELOTA

A game similar to racquets, sometimes called “Jai-a-li,” that is much played in Spain and in Mexico. The game is played with a narrow scoop-like wicker basket or racket which is fastened to the wrist. The players catch the ball in this device and hurl it with terrific force against the wall of the court. Pelota is a hard, fast game, and sometimes serious injuries result from playing it.

PLUG IN THE RING

This is the universal game that boys play with tops. A ring six feet in diameter is described on the ground and each player puts a top called a “bait” in the centre. The baits are usually tops of little value. The “plugger,” however, is the top used to shoot with and as a rule is the boy’s choicest one. As soon as the players can wind their tops they stand with their toes on the line and endeavour to strike one of the baits in such a way as to knock it out of the circle and still leave their own tops within the circle and spinning. If they miss, the top must be left spinning until it “dies.” If it fails to roll out of the ring, the owner must place another bait top in the ring, but if it leaves the circle he may continue shooting. It is possible to play tops for “keeps,” but, like marbles for “keeps,” it should be discouraged, as it is gambling.

POLO OR EQUESTRIAN POLO

A game played on horseback, which originated in Eastern countries and was first played by the English in India. It has been introduced both into England and America. Polo is a rich man’s game and requires a great deal of skill in horsemanship as well as nerve. A polo team consists of four men, each of whom must have a stable of several horses. These horses, or “polo ponies,” are trained carefully, and a well-trained pony is as essential to good playing as a skilful rider.

The game is played with a mallet, the head of which is usually ash, dogwood, or persimmon, and has a handle about 50 inches long. The ball is either willow or basswood. The principle of the game is similar to nearly all of the outdoor games played with a ball: that of driving it into the opponents’ goal, meanwhile preventing them from making a score on one’s own goal.

POTATO RACE

In this game as many rows of potatoes are laid as there are players. They should be placed about five feet apart. The race consists in picking up all of the potatoes, one at a time, and carrying them to the starting point, making a separate trip for each potato. At the end of the line there should be a basket or butter tub to drop them into. The game is sometimes made more difficult by forcing the contestants to carry the potatoes on a teaspoon.

PRISONER’S BASE

Two captains select sides. They then mark out on the ground two bases, or homes. They also mark out two “prisons” near each home base. Then each side stands in its own home and a player runs out and advances toward the enemy’s home. One of the enemy will then run out and endeavour to tag him before he can run back to his own base, and one of his side will try to tag the enemy, the rule being that each in turn must have left his home after his opponent. If a player is tagged, he becomes a prisoner of the other side and is put into the prison. The successful tagger may then return to Ids home without danger of being tagged. A prisoner may be rescued at any time if one of his side can elude the opponents and tag him free from prison. The game ends when all of one side are made prisoners.

PUSH BALL

A game usually played on foot but sometimes on horseback, in which the object is to push or force a huge ball over the opponents’ goal line. A regulation “push ball” is six feet in diameter and costs three hundred dollars.

In push ball almost any number may play, but as weight counts, the sides should be divided as evenly as possible.

QUOITS

A game played with flattish malleable iron or rubber rings about nine inches in diameter and convex on the upper side, which the players endeavour to loss or pitch so that they will encircle a pin or peg driven into the ground, or to come nearer to this peg than their opponents. The peg is called a “hob.” A certain form of quoits is played with horseshoes throughout the country districts of America. A quoit player endeavours to give the quoit such a position in mid-air that it will not roll but will cut into the ground at the point where it lands. The game is remotely similar to the ancient Greek game of throwing the discus. Iron quoits may be purchased for a dollar a set.

The average weight of the quoits used by experts is from seven to nine pounds each. Sixty-one points constitute a game. The distance from the peg shall be either 10, 15 or 18 yards. For a space three feet around the pin or peg the ground should be clay. In match games, all quoits that fall outside a radius of 18 inches from the centre of the pin are “foul,” and do not count in the score.

RACQUETS OR RACKETS

One of the numerous court games similar to lawn tennis that is now finding public favour, but played in a semi-indoor court. A racquet court is 31 feet 6 inches wide and about 63 feet long. The front wall, against which the ball is served, has a line 8 or 10 feet from the floor, above which the ball must strike. The server, as in tennis, takes his position in a service box with a racket similar to a lawn tennis racket except that it has a smaller head and a longer handle.

Either two or four players may play racquets. A game consists of fifteen “aces,” or points.

RED LINE

In this game, also called Red Lion, the goal must be a straight line, such as the crack in a sidewalk or the edge of a road. The one who is “it” runs after the rest as in tag, and when he has captured a prisoner he brings him into the “red line,” and the two start out again hand in hand and another is captured, then three together, and two pair, and so on until all are prisoners. The first prisoner is “it” for the next game.

ROLEY BOLEY

This game is also called Roll Ball and Nigger Baby, and is played by children all over the civilized world. A number of depressions are hollowed in the ground corresponding to the number of players and a hole is chosen by each one. A rubber ball is then rolled toward the holes, and if it lodges in one of them the boy who has claimed that hole must run in and pick up the ball while the rest scatter. He then attempts to hit one of the other players with the ball. If he succeeds a small stone called a “baby” is placed in the hole belonging to the boy struck. Otherwise the thrower is penalized with a “baby.” When any boy has five babies he must stand against the wall and be a free target for the rest to throw the ball at.

ROQUE

This game may be called scientific croquet. A roque mallet has a dogwood head 9½ inches long, with heavy nickel ferrules. Roque balls are made of a special composition that is both resilient and practically unbreakable.

A skilful roque player is able to make shots similar to billiard shots. The standard roque court is 60 feet long, 30 feet wide, with corner pieces 6 feet long. The playing ground is of clay and should be as smooth as it is possible to make it. A very light top dressing of sand is used on the clay. The wickets, or “arches,” are driven into blocks of wood to secure firmness and buried into the ground with the top of the arch 8 inches above the surface.

The roque balls are 3¼ inches in diameter and the arches only 3½ wide, which gives an idea of the difficulty of playing this game. To be an expert requires an accurate eye and a great deal of practice.

There is a National Roque Association, and an annual championship tournament is held to determine the champion. The home of roque is in the New England States.

ROWING RECORD

The best amateur intercollegiate record for the eight-oared race of four miles is 18 minutes 53⅕ seconds, made by Cornell, July 2, 1901.

RUBICON

This game may be played with any number of players, and is especially adapted for a school or lawn game. Two players are chosen as pursuers and the rest are divided equally and stand two by two facing each other in two columns. The two pursuers stand at the head of each column and face each other. When ready they say, “Cross the Rubicon,” and at this signal the rear couple from each line must run forward and try to reach the rear of the other line. The pursuers must not look back, but as soon as the runners are abreast of them must try to tag them before they reach the place of safety. The captured runners become pursuers, and the one who was “it” takes his or her place at the rear of the other line.

SACK RACING

A form of sport where the contestants are fastened in sacks with the hands and feet confined and where they race for a goal by jumping or hopping along at the greatest possible speed under this handicap. A sack race should not be considered one of the scientific branches of sport, but is rather to afford amusement for the spectators.

SCOTLAND’S BURNING

This game is based upon the song of the same name. The players form a ring, with three judges in the centre. Each player with appropriate gestures in turn begins the song,

The whole party are soon singing, but each four are singing different words. The object of the judges is to detect some one in the circle either making gestures that are not appropriate to the words or to be singing out of order. The penalty is to turn around and sing with the back to the circle. The three who are facing in last then become judges.

SKIING

This sport has recently received wide popularity in sections of the country where the winters make it possible. Skis—or, as they are sometimes spelled, skee,—are a pair of flat runners from five to ten feet long which are attached to the feet in such a way as to be easily cast off in case of accident. By means of skis a ski-runner may either make rapid progress over level snow or may coast down sharp declivities and make jumps of great extent.

Skis are usually made of ash and the standard lengths are from six to eight feet. They cost from five to seven dollars a pair. In skiing it is customary to use a pair of steel-shod poles with leather wrist straps, but in ski-running or coasting the use of poles is very dangerous.

SPANISH FLY

In this game of leap frog various tricks are attempted by the leader, as in the game of “stump master.” Each of the boys following is expected to do as the leader or to drop out and become “down” himself. “Torchlight” is to jump with one hand only, using the other to wave his cap as if it were a torch. In “hats on deck” each jumper in turn is supposed to leave his cap on “down’s” back. Naturally the last one over may have a large pile of hats to clear. If he disturbs any of them or knocks them off, he is “it.” “Hats off” means for each jumper in turn to take his own hat without knocking off any of the others. In all games of leap frog it is considered proper for the jumper to direct “down” to give him the kind of a “back” he desires. Consequently he will say high or low back, depending upon whether he wishes “down” to stand almost upright or to bend close to the ground.

SQUASH

This game is similar to racquets, but is less violent or severe on a player. It is played in a court 31 feet 6 inches wide. The front wall must be 16 feet high. The service line above which the ball must strike on the serve is 6 feet from the floor. Below this line and 2 feet from the floor is the “tell tale,” above which the ball must strike in play. A squash racket is similar to a tennis racket, but slightly smaller.

In squash, a game is “fifteen up.” At the score of 13 a player may “set the score” back to 3 or 5, after which the player first winning either 3 or 5 points, or aces, as they are called, is the winner. The object of this is to endeavour to overcome the advantage that the server may have.

In a regulation squash court the spectators’ gallery is above the walls of the court, and the game is played in the pit below the gallery.

STUMP MASTER

In this game one of the players is chosen master. It is usually the one who first suggests the game by saying. “Let’s play stump master.” He then leads the line of players, going through various “stumps,” or, as we should call them now, “stunts,” such as climbing fences and trees, turning somersaults, crawling through narrow places, or whatever will be difficult for the rest to copy. The game is capable of all sorts of variations.

SUCKERS

This can scarcely be called a game, but the use of the sucker is so familiar to most boys that a description of it is surely not out of place in this chapter. A piece of sole leather is used, three or four inches square. It is cut into a circle and the edges carefully pared thin. A hole is made in the centre and a piece of string or top twine is knotted and run through the hole. The sucker is then soaked in water until it is soft and pliable. The object of the sucker is to lift stones or bricks with it. This, too, is of especial interest in New England towns, where there are brick sidewalks. The sucker is pressed firmly on a brick by means of the foot, and it will be found to adhere to it with sufficient force to lift it clear of the ground.

TETHER BALL

The same as tether tennis, which see.

TETHER TENNIS

This game has been developed out of lawn tennis. A wooden pole extending 10 feet above the surface is placed in a vertical position and firmly imbedded in the ground. The pole must be 7½ inches in circumference at the ground and may taper to the top. Six feet above the ground a black band 2 inches wide is painted around the pole. The court is a smooth piece of sod or clay similar to a tennis court, but a piece of ground 20 feet square is sufficient.

At the base of the pole a circle is described with a 3-foot radius. A line 20 feet long bisects this circle, and 6 feet from the pole on each side are two crosses, which are known as service crosses.

An ordinary tennis ball is used which has been fitted with a tight-fitting linen cover. The ball is fastened to the pole by means of a piece of heavy braided line. Ordinary heavy fish line will do. The ball should hang 7½ feet from the top of the pole or 2½ feet from the ground. Regulation tennis rackets are used.

The game consists in endeavouring to wind the ball and string around the pole above the black mark in a direction previously determined. The opponent meanwhile tries to prevent this and to wind the ball in the opposite direction by striking it as one would volley in tennis.

Each player must keep in his own court. The points are scored as “fouls.” Eleven games constitute a set. A game is won when the string is completely wound around the pole above the black mark. The penalty for a foul, such as stepping outside of one’s court, allowing the string to wind around the handle of the racket or around the pole below the black mark, provides for a free hit by one’s opponent.

THREE-LEGGED RACING

A race in which the contestants are paired off by being strapped together at the ankles and thighs. Remarkable speed can be obtained by practice under this handicap. There are definite rules to govern three-legged races, and official harness may be bought from sporting goods outfitters. As a race, however, it is like sack racing, to be classed among the sports designed to afford amusement rather than as a display of skill.

TUB RACING

These races are often held in shallow lakes. Each contestant sits in a wash tub, and by using his hands as paddles endeavours to paddle the course first. As a wash tub is not a particularly seaworthy craft, and spills are of frequent occurrence, it is well for the tub racers also to know how to swim.

VOLLEY BALL

This game is extremely simple and may be played by any number of players, provided that there is space and that the sides are evenly divided. The best dimensions for a volley ball court are 25 feet wide and 50 feet long, but any square space evenly divided into two courts will do. The game consists of twenty-one points.

The ball is made of white leather and inflated with a rubber bladder. A net divides the two courts and is 7 feet high. The standard volley ball is 27 inches in circumference and weighs between 9 and 12 ounces.

The whole object of the game is to pass the ball back and forth over the net without permitting it to touch the floor or to bound. In this way it somewhat resembles both tennis and hand ball.

Volley ball is an excellent game for gymnasiums and has the decided advantage of permitting almost any number to play.

WARNING

The “warner” takes his position at a space called “home” and the rest of the players stand some distance from him. He then clasps his hands and runs out, trying to tag an opponent with his clasped hands. This would be practically impossible except that the players endeavour to make him unclasp his hands by pulling at his arms and drawing temptingly near him. As soon as he has tagged a victim he runs for home as fast as possible. If he himself is tagged before he reaches home he is out, and the tagger becomes “warner.” If both the warner and the one tagged reach home safely they clasp hands, and finally the line contains all the players but one, who has the honour of being warner for the next game. The game receives its name from the call, “Warning!” which the warner gives three times before leaving home.

WASHINGTON

In this game a player stands blindfolded and another player comes up and taps him. The one who is “it” then gives a penalty, such as “climb a tree or run to the corner and back,” and then tries to guess who it was that tapped him. The one tapped must answer some question so that he may be recognized by his voice or laugh. If “it” is correct in his guess, the player must do as directed, but if his guess is wrong he must do it himself. The result of this game is that the blindfolded player will measure the severity of his “forfeits,” or “penalties,” to his certainty of guessing correctly the name of the player.

WATER POLO

This game is played in a swimming pool. A white ball made of rubber fabric is used. The ball must be between 7 and 8 inches in diameter. The goals are spaces 4 feet long and 12 inches wide at each end of the tank and placed 18 inches above the water line. Six men on a side constitute a team.

It is a game in which skill in swimming is absolutely essential. It is also a very rough game. The player endeavours to score goals by swimming with the ball, and his opponents are privileged to tackle him and to force him under water or in other ways to attempt to secure the ball from him. Meanwhile the other players are blocking off opponents, and in general the game resembles a football game in its rudiments.

WATER RACE

In this game the contestants run a race carrying a glass or tin cup full of water on top of the head, which must not be touched by the hands. The one finishing first with a minimum loss of water from his cup is the winner.

WICKET POLO

A game played by two teams of four players each. The ball used is a regulation polo ball. A wicket polo surface is 44 feet square, in which sticks or wickets are set up. The object of the game is to knock down the wickets of one’s opponents by a batted ball and to prevent them from displacing our own. A crooked stick 4 feet in length and a little over an inch in diameter is used. Each player has a fixed position on the field or surface.

WOLF AND SHEEP

In this game “it” is the wolf. The sheep choose a shepherd to guard them. The wolf then secures a hiding place and the sheep and shepherd leave the fold and endeavour to locate him. When this is done the shepherd cries, “I spy a wolf!” and every one stands while he counts ten. Then the sheep and shepherd scatter for the fold, and if tagged before they reach it the first becomes wolf for the next game.

WOOD TAG

In this class are also “iron tag,” “stone tag,” and “tree tag.” They are all simply the game of tag with the additional rule that when a player is in contact with iron, stone, trees, wood, and so on he is safe from being tagged by the one who is “it.” The game of “squat tag” is similar, except that to be safe the one pursued must squat quickly on the ground before “it” catches him. In cross tag, “it” must select a victim and continue to run after him until some one runs ahead and crosses his path, when “it,” who may be breathless by this time, must abandon his victim for a fresh one, who may soon be relieved and so on until some one is tagged, or “it” is exhausted.