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POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



of their strength all are so light that his trained assistants send the 

 giant kites up into the air as easil}' as the little fellows. 



The kite shown in Fig. 5 is tetrahedral in form and built of six- 

 teen tetrahedral cells. This was the first tetrahedral kite constructed 

 by Dr. Bell. It is a wonderful flier, darting up from the ground with 

 a shrill whistle and climbing to extraordinary heights. It is a pretty 

 sight to see the operator bring the kite in after the experiment is over. 



Fig. 8. Sixteen Large-celled Kite carrying five pounds of lead. 



The kite flies steadily without a turn or quiver as the line is reeled in 

 and finally alights on his hand as gently as a bird. Figs. 6 and 7 show 

 a sixty-four-celled kite made of four kites like the preceding. The 

 kite is two meters on a side. The most remarkable feature of this 

 kite, aside from its perfect equilibrium and steadiness in squalls, is 

 its ability to fly almost directly overhead. Even in the lightest breeze 

 I have rarely seen it flying at an angle of less than eighty degrees. 

 The kite is admirably adapted for meteorological observations at great 

 heights, as it can carry considerable weight with the greatest ease. 

 Fig. 8 shows a kite of the same size but with sixteen cells instead of 



