Puzzle 014 is Bite of Bygone Days, a 30-picarat Multiple Choice puzzle in the Classroom at Kingsbrook Academy, during the Chapter 2 flashback to Hershel Layton's school days. It's the second puzzle of Mr. Collins's lesson and starts right after Puzzle 013, Ancient Arti-facts. This time Hershel's classmate Randall Ascot volunteers to answer. The top screen shows a fossil found on a riverbed, marked with an ancient fish's bite, and the touch screen shows three fish from a book, labeled A, B and C. You tap the letter of the fish you think made the tooth marks.
This page covers story Puzzle 014 in Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask on Nintendo 3DS, using the North American text. If you're after Daily Puzzle 014 or Puzzle 014 from another Layton game, see Wrong Puzzle 014? below.
What Puzzle 014 is
| Name | Bite of Bygone Days (the same in the US and UK English versions) |
|---|---|
| Type | Multiple Choice |
| Picarats | 30 |
| Location | Classroom, Kingsbrook Academy, Stansbury |
| Chapter | Chapter 2 |
| When | Hershel's school days |
| Given by | Mr. Collins, the teacher |
| Solved by | Randall Ascot |
| Comes after | Puzzle 013, Ancient Arti-facts |
| Comes before | Puzzle 015, Fix the Fossil |
The question reads: "This fossil was found on a riverbed. Close examination revealed tooth marks, suggesting that it was formed when some kind of ancient fish bit into something tasty. Can you tell which one of the fish pictured in the book made these tooth marks?" The objective bar at the top of the touch screen sums it up as "Which fish was it?"
Puzzle names
The US and UK English versions both call it Bite of Bygone Days. The answer is the same in the US and UK English versions.
| Version | Puzzle name |
|---|---|
| North America | Bite of Bygone Days |
| UK | Bite of Bygone Days |
| Japanese | 古代魚の歯形 (Kodaigyo no Hagata, "the ancient fish's tooth marks") |
The Japanese title is 古代魚の歯形. The North American release carries a different internal Japanese label for it, 怪魚の歯型.
Wrong Puzzle 014?
- Daily Puzzle 014 in Miracle Mask is a different puzzle: the second Big Block Box daily puzzle, Big Block Box 02. It has nothing to do with fossils.
- Puzzle 014 in another Layton game is a different puzzle. If yours doesn't show a fossil and three fish, you're in the wrong game.
- Puzzle 015, Fix the Fossil, is Mr. Collins's next puzzle in the same lesson. It's also about a fossil, but it's an Arrange puzzle where you put the pieces together.
Where you get it
Puzzle 014 comes in Chapter 2, the flashback to Hershel's time at Kingsbrook Academy in Stansbury. Mr. Collins is teaching about fossils, and his first question is Puzzle 013, Ancient Arti-facts, which Hershel answers. As soon as that's solved, Mr. Collins says, "Fossils have a way of telling a story. Would anyone care to show me how?" Randall jumps in with "Sir! Let me do it! Please!", and Puzzle 014 starts. There's nothing to tap or find first.
If you quit the puzzle instead of answering, talking to Mr. Collins again in the Classroom should bring it back. It's part of the lesson, and you have to solve it to move on, since Puzzle 015 follows straight after it.
The Classroom has three hint coins, all in the normal view, with no zoomed-in view to search: the hanging ceiling lamp on the left, the framed certificate on the front wall to the right of the blackboard, and the noticeboard on the right-hand wall. They're the same three coins as in Puzzle 013, so you may already have them. Three coins pay for the first three hints, but not the Super Hint as well.
Hints, one at a time
These follow the game's own hints, in the same order, with a little more explanation. Open only the next one you need. In the game, Hints 1 to 3 cost one hint coin each and the Super Hint costs two.
Hint 1: Count the marks
Start by counting the tooth marks on the fossil. There are six, three on each side, so the fish that bit it left three pairs of tooth marks. Can you find three pairs of teeth on each of the fish in the book?
Hint 2: What sets the fish apart
All three fish have three pairs of teeth on either the upper or the lower jaw, so counting alone won't settle it. Fish C's teeth are rounded, but the game says that doesn't rule it out. Look past the shape of the teeth: is there a difference in where the teeth sit in each fish's mouth?
Hint 3: Look at the edge of the fossil
Go back to the fossil. If a fish had this in its mouth and bit down, wouldn't you expect more tooth marks closer to the edge? Unless its teeth were arranged so that they never touched that part. Which fish's mouth would leave that part of the fossil unmarked?
Super Hint: The empty space
A mouth full of teeth wouldn't leave such a gap between the tooth marks and the edge of the bitten object. The game's last hint says the fish must not have had any back teeth. Check the three drawings for a fish whose teeth are all at the front.
Answer and full solution
The answer below covers every step, with a picture of the solved puzzle. Open it when you're ready.
Show the answer
The answer is A. The fossil only has the marks of three pairs of front teeth, so the fish that bit it had no back teeth. Fish A is the only one whose teeth are all at the very front of its mouth. The game's own answer text says it plainly: "The shape of the teeth is irrelevant."
| Fish | Teeth in the book's drawing | Fits the fossil? |
|---|---|---|
| A | A few pointed teeth right at the front of the mouth, with nothing further back | Yes |
| B | Pointed teeth that run back along the jaw | No: the back teeth would have marked the fossil nearer the edge |
| C | Rounded teeth that run back along the jaw | No: the rounded shape isn't the problem, but the teeth reach too far back |
Step by step:
- Count the marks. There are six tooth marks on the fossil, three on each side: three pairs.
- Ignore the shape. Every fish has three pairs of teeth on one of its jaws, and rounded teeth don't rule fish C out.
- Look at what's missing. The marks stop well short of the edge of the fossil. A fish with teeth all the way back would have left more marks there.
- Find the fish with no back teeth. Fish B and fish C both have teeth further back in the mouth. Fish A doesn't.
- Tap A. Mr. Collins says, "Impressive, Ascot. I see you've done your homework on this topic."
If your answer keeps failing:
- You picked C because of the rounded teeth. Tooth shape doesn't matter here. The game's wrong-answer line says, "Don't worry too much about the shape of each fish's teeth."
- You picked B because its front teeth look like the marks. They might, but fish B also has teeth further back, and those would have left extra marks.
- You're counting teeth, not looking at where they are. All three fish pass the count. The difference is the empty part of the fossil near the edge.
Picarats, hints and hint coins
Bite of Bygone Days shows 30 picarats when it starts, and wrong answers can drop it to 20 and then 10, so it pays to be sure before you tap. A wrong answer gets "Too bad," with a reminder not to worry about the shape of the teeth. If you try again, Mr. Collins says, "Well, you've caught me in a generous mood. I suppose you'd better try again."
Hints cost hint coins, not picarats: one coin each for the first three hints and two for the Super Hint, five in total. The Classroom's three coins cover the first three hints. Or use the free hints on this page and save your coins.
Versions and systems
- Nintendo 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS and New 3DS: no difference. You just tap a letter on the touch screen.
- US and UK English versions: same fossil, same three fish, same answer.
- Other systems: Miracle Mask is a 3DS game. There's no Switch, mobile or PC version of it as of October 2026.
The scene around the puzzle
Mr. Collins gives Randall the job with a dry "All right, Ascot. Let's see if your ability matches your enthusiasm." If you quit, he tells Randall, "Incorrect. Next time, you may want to think a bit more before you speak." When you solve it, he says, "Impressive, Ascot. I see you've done your homework on this topic," and Randall answers, "With all due respect, sir, my brain barely broke a sweat!" Mr. Collins then sets Randall another fossil puzzle, Puzzle 015, Fix the Fossil.
FAQ
Where is the answer to Puzzle 014?
It's in the Answer and full solution section above, hidden until you open it. If you only want a push, open the hints one at a time first.
What is Puzzle 014 called?
Bite of Bygone Days, in both the North American and UK English versions. In Japanese it's 古代魚の歯形.
Where is Puzzle 014?
In the Classroom at Kingsbrook Academy, during Chapter 2. It starts right after you solve Puzzle 013 in Mr. Collins's lesson.
Do I need to solve Puzzle 013 first?
Yes. Mr. Collins only asks the fossil-fish question after Ancient Arti-facts is solved.
Does the shape of the teeth matter?
The game's own hints tell you not to rely on it. See Hint 2 above for the nudge.
How many picarats is Puzzle 014 worth?
It shows 30 picarats when it starts, and that's what you get for a first-try answer. Wrong answers may reduce the picarat value.
Is Daily Puzzle 014 the same as Puzzle 014?
No. Daily Puzzle 014 is the second Big Block Box puzzle. Story Puzzle 014 is the fossil and the three fish.
More Miracle Mask puzzles
- Puzzle 001: Stumble's Balloons
- Puzzle 002: Where's Mother?
- Puzzle 003: Stumble's Banners
- Puzzle 004: Bumper Perspective
- Puzzle 005: Robot Factory
- Puzzle 006: Bunny-Hop Swap
- Puzzle 007: A Toasty Toast
- Puzzle 008: Carnival Colors
- Puzzle 009: Stamp Stumper
- Puzzle 010: The Place to Be!
- Puzzle 011: Backstage Blunder
- Puzzle 012: Sharing the Burden
- Puzzle 013: Ancient Arti-facts
- Puzzle 015: Fix the Fossil
- Puzzle 60: Dangerous Holes
- Puzzle 100: Gate to the Ruins!
- Puzzle 113: Chip Champions
- Puzzle 118: Evenly Matched 3
- Puzzle 122: Kitty Solitaire 3
For the rest of the game's puzzles, see the Miracle Mask puzzle index.