82 OUR PHYSICAL WORLD 



will be used to insure the kite carrying high into the air, nearly 

 straight overhead. 



Directions for making and flying the various types of kites, 

 the ordinary tailed kite, the tailless bow, and box kites (Fig. 34), 

 are given in the Field and Laboratory Guide in Physical Nature- 

 Study. A method for making the odd bird kite will be given here. 



Cut four very thin strips of bamboo or cedar 3 feet long. 

 Fasten two of these together to make a figure 8 with one loop 

 three or four times the size of the other. This may be done 

 by binding the overlapped ends and the intersection with stout 

 thread. Similarly, fasten together by their ends the other two 

 strips laid parallel and then spread their centers apart a foot. 

 Bind them, so spread, to the figure 8, fastening the mid-point of 

 one strip to the neck of the 8, the other one to the sides of the 

 large loop. The large loop of the 8 makes the frame for the body 

 of the bird, the small one for the head. The side extensions are 

 the wing frames. Cut two thin 1 5-inch strips of bamboo and 

 fasten one end of each to the sides of the larger loop of the 8, 

 halfway from the wing frame to the lower end. Cross them and 

 tie the crossing to the mid lower end of the loop so their free ends 

 spread fan-shaped beyond the 8 for the frame of the tail. Fasten 

 a taut string between their free ends. 



Now lay the kite frame on a large sheet of tissue paper. Cut 

 from it a rectangular strip as long as the kite is wide from tip 

 to tip of the wing frames and 3 inches wider than these at their 

 widest point. Run paste all around the edges of this strip. 

 Place the kite frame on it and turn the edges of the paper over 

 the wing frames just far enough so the edge will stick to the 

 paper. This will allow the paper to bag more and more out to 

 the wing tips, where one edge of the paper will be stuck to the 

 opposite edge. 



Cut the sheets to cover the head frame, and the body frame 

 2 or 3 inches larger all the way around than the frames, and stick 

 the edges over the frame as on the wings, so the paper on both 

 head and body will bag in, in the same direction as on the wings. 



