'A Nursery Occupation for a Rainy Day Almost the oldest timekeeper in the world was the water-clock, or clepsydra. To make one is quite a simple matter, and the device will give a good record of the passing hours.
Secure a wooden pai] of moderate size and make a round cover to fit on the top. In the middle of the cover bore a hole which will accommodats a 14-inch length of bamboo and give it free play of movement, At the base of the stick nail a piece of wood four inches square and one inch thick: Make a very small hole in the bottom of the pail.
Fill the pail with water, push tha bamboo through the hole of the cover, and let the square of wood float on the liquid. As the water trickles away, the stick descends and shows less and jess above the cover. When the water has been running out for one hour make a mark on the stick. Do the same at the end of the second hour, the third hour, and so on. If it is not convenient to mark the whole of the stick on one day, plug the escape hole and resume the process later. The distances between the marks will not be quite uniform, since when the pail is full the water passes out some what more rapidly than when it is nearly empty.
When the entire stick has been marked, paint it
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