Wonderful Old Hand-carved Bird Shaped Box gift for the scholar and characterizing this in my

and characterizing this in my mind as a "transformation" card-- a type of playing card where the pips are incorporated into an image

And then on the backs are clever rhymes for each

making it clear the case was made from cigar box wood

1 1/2" deep

This fabulous thing is a carved wood whistle in the shape of a bird

Wonderful Old Hand-carved Bird Shaped Box gift for the scholar and characterizing this in myI was delighted to find this one in New Hampshire the other day, which I presume was made as a snuff box, 19th c American I would guess. (It would really also be the perfect box for holding the tiny bone dice I just listed!) Such an elegant form suggesting a bird through the sparest of means (it feels to me quite reminiscent of early Native American bird stones), wider for the body and gracefully tapering toward the gently pointing beak. I also love