CHINESE GAMES WITH DICE AND DOMINOES. 517 



the fourth row, D, E, F of the fifth row, and G, H, I, K of the sixth 

 row. The piece A is then placed transversely, face up, across the top 

 of the oi'igiual j)yramid, and the other pieces that were withdrawn 

 formed into a line, face up, at its base; the pairs G-H and I-K being 

 put at the ends, D and F within them, B, C next within and E in the 

 middle, as in the diagram on the right of tig. 20. The players then 

 proceed to mate the pieces that are faceup, according to the arrangement 

 found on pi. 5. When no more pairs can be made with the exposed 

 pieces the outside piece on the right of the second row from the top 

 may be reversed. If it can not be paired it is left in its place, but if 

 mated the outside piece on the third row is liberated, and may be 

 reversed, and so on. When the right-hand side is blocked, the piece 

 on the left of the second row may be reversed, and the same plan followed 

 as before. When the piece A is mated the two pieces beneath it may 

 be reversed ; and the removal of the two pieces at the ends of the lowest 

 row, as G H, permits the pieces directly above them to be reversed. 

 The i^rocess is continued until the game is blocked, or the player has 

 mated all the pieces comprising the x)yramid. 



This game is said to be used in divination, the success or failure in 

 mating all the pieces being regarded as furnishing a clew to the deter- 

 mination of the event under consideration. 



rORTUNE TELLING WITH DOMINOES. 



Dominoes are regularly used in fortune telling in China at the present 

 day, and their use for this i)urj)ose is generally known to the laborers 

 who come to America. I have before me a book entitled Kgd p'di slum 

 shb fo chii ts'eung Mi, "■ a chart for finding out the numbers by divine 

 aid and with ivory dominoes, with an explanation and commentary." 

 This work was printed in Canton in 1865, the name of the author 

 being given as Ch'ing Ngok. The preface, which professes to exjolain 

 the attributes and astrological significance of the dominoes, is followed 

 by a series of diagrams illustrating different combinations formed with 

 dominoes taken three, or in one class, two at a time. Specimens of the 

 different classes are represented in pi. 7. 



The following names and numerical values are given to them: 



pat fung, "unlike," counts 6. 



hop lidu, "ingeniously divided," counts 4. 



'ng tsz', "five spots," counts 5. 



fan sheung, " divided reciprocally," counts 3. 



via kwan, " cavalry," counts 3. 



i sdm luk, "two, three, six," counts 3. 



iu i sdm, "ace, tvro; three," counts 3. 



tiii tsz', " corresponding spots," counts 3. 



ching fdi, "correctly satisfied," counts 1. 



In telling fortunes an entire set of dominoes is placed face down upon 

 a table and well mixed. The dominoes are then all placed side by side 

 in a row and reversed. The manipulator selects from this row as many 



