The game of king (βασιλίνδα) consisted of feats, done by one child at the bidding of another, as a soldier would obey a king. Who should be king and who soldier was decided by lot. A favorite pastime with children was the game called ἀρτιασμός or “Odd and Even” (_Pollux_ ix, 101), in which they guessed whether the number of objects one held concealed in his hand was odd or even. Dice, nuts, coins, etc., were used for this purpose. The amount won or lost was either the articles themselves or a sum of money staked upon the guess. Horace also in the Satires alludes to this game under the name _ludere par impar_ (_Satires_ 2, 3; 248). Still another game of guessing was κολλαβισμός, in which a child, with closed eyes, guessed who had given him a box on the ears, and also which hand he had used in striking him. Greek children often played at the game called “hunt the slipper” (σχοινοφιλίνδα), a piece of rope being used instead of the slipper. The modern “hide and seek” was the Greek ἀποδιδρασκίνδα. “Kiss in the ring” (κυνητίνδα) is another ancient game of which, however, we possess no correct details. “Ride a cock horse” (κάλαμου περιβῆναι) was also an amusement of great antiquity, and was very popular both in Greece and in Rome. Horace in the Satires (2, 3: 248) refers to this sport in the following words: _equitare in arundine longa_. The Greek and Roman children played several games of skill with nuts, which resembled very closely our modern game of marbles. Nuts played so important a part in childish sports that _nuces relinquere_ became a proverbial expression for “putting away childish things.” The nuts were pitched into a circle drawn on the ground called ὤμιλλα (_Pollux_ ix, 102-3) or into a hole βόθρος dug in the ground. Those that fell outside the circle were forfeited. The name delta was given to a certain game with nuts in which a triangle was chalked on the ground, and marked across with lines or bars running parallel to the base. The player then flipped nuts into the triangle, winning as many nuts as he crossed bars, provided, of course, that they did not roll outside the triangle, in which case they were forfeited. Therefore, the most skilful play consisted in driving the nut exactly to the apex of the triangle. The ball (σφαῖρα) was not only a favorite toy among children, but it also played an important part in the physical exercises of youths and adults. No other gymnastic exercise was so popular among the Greeks and Romans of different periods as the ball games, though regarded less as a game than as an exercise for strengthening the muscles and cultivating grace and symmetry of body.