, carved out of solid wood, and the curious crank
indicates an imaginary twist in the arm, perhaps suggested by some
carpenter who was able to manipulate his tools in a way not commonly
understood, thus giving to future carpenters a most useful tool.

Egyptian Curios.

Among the collectable curios of old households are many antiquities from
foreign lands. Perhaps the most interesting, in that they afford us
examples of the prototypes of household antiques as they were known to a
nation possessing an early civilization, polish, and refinement, are
those which have been discovered recently in Egyptian tombs. Some
representative examples may be seen in the British Museum. There are
toilet requisites including mirrors, combs, and even wigs and wig boxes,
as well as a glass tube for stibium or eye paint. There are ivory
pillows or head rests, models of the ghostly boats of the underworld,
and a vast variety of children's toys, including wooden dolls with
strings of mud beads to represent hair, porcelain elephants, and wooden
cats; and there are children's balls made of blue glazed porcelain, and
of leather stuffed with chopped straw. There are many games and
amusements, such as stone draught boards, and draughtsmen in porcelain
and wood. There are bells of bronze and some remarkable musical
instruments like a harp, the body of which is in the form of a woman;
and there are reed flutes and whistles and cymbals such as were carried
by priestesses. There are curious ivory amulets, quaintly carved spoons,
ivory boxes, and even theatre tickets. Necklaces and pendants and other
articles of adornment are plentiful, for the Egyptian maidens possessed
much jewellery--bracelets, rings, and necklaces. One very exceptionally
fine relic of this far-off age is a toilet box complete with vases of
unguents, eye paint, comb, and bronze shell on which to mix unguents,
and other trinkets. Many such antiquities find their way into museums
and private collections of household curios, and are useful and
interesting for purposes of comparison, telling of customs which change
not, and of the many connecting links which exist between the past and
the present.

Ancient Spectacles.

It is truly astonishing how many ancient spectacles, which to collectors
of such things would be veritable treasures, lie neglected and allowed
to "knock about" until broken or otherwise damaged. Those mostly
discovered are the heavy brass and silver-rimmed spectac