DECEMBER 1 ISSUE ANSWERS (photo to right): This is a carpet ball. The Scottish game of carpet balls was played in Victorian times. When entering a Victorian home, one might see a basket of the two-to-three-inch ceramic weighted colorful balls by the doorway. The game was played by teams of individuals each having two carpet balls. A jack or smaller ball was rolled or placed on the edge of the carpet. Each player would roll their carpet ball as close to the jack as possible. Their opponent would try to knock theirs out of the way and still be close to the jack. This game resembled shuffle board or bocce ball in that way. Using larger balls, the game could be played out of doors. Many of the antique carpet balls were made in England’s Staffordshire region. While in New Zealand, my wife and I were privileged to be invited to play bowls in an outdoor court with a group of club members all dressed in white. The leagues take this larger version of the sport enthusiastically. The seven inch bowl is weighted so that it curves when one rolls it across the grassy court toward the smaller jack. The game and its variations seem to be still popular in UK related countries. R. Beringer, Romeo Historical Society staff