Popular Science Monthly 



745 



tvvo highest kites. But for the ten minute- 

 race one must get off quite a distance in 

 order to follow the kites and trace them to 

 their respective owners." 



The quarter-mile dash 

 is "run" with reels; it is 

 even more exciting than 

 the quick high flights. 

 The string is let out for 

 a quarter mile; then it 

 is attached to the reel 

 and an unmerciful wind- 

 ing begins. The kite 

 mounts up, up, up until 

 it stands almost over- 

 head, and still the boys 

 wind with all the vim in 

 their bodies, which is 

 considerable. 



When the winding is 

 in operation a kite may 

 rebel, dart to earth and 

 bury its sorrow. But 

 usually some friend shouts to Johnnie or 

 Ralph to save his kite from self-destruction. 

 If the kite plunges to the ground it may 

 not be dragged in, but must be raised to 

 continue in the contest. Great is the 

 shouting when the first kite comes in. 



The judges are usually chosen from the 

 teaching body. When an event is judged, 

 one record is made on the judge's blank 

 and a duplicate is made out for the winner. 

 He takes his slip to the badge committee 



and receives in exchange the coveted token. 

 In the tournament held this past season 



the kite representing a giant insect was 

 corrsidered to be the 

 most artistic flyer in the 

 air. The design of this 

 particular kite stood out 

 well far up in the air. 

 The tvvo tails added 

 graceful lines to the lithe 

 body as it swa\ed to 

 and fro in the breeze. 



The framework for 

 this kite, shown in Fig;. 

 I, is made of bamboo 

 not more than i/i6 in. 



thick and 



in. wide. 



"Charlie" up in 

 kite figure he isn' 



There is an extra spine 

 that bows out to the 

 front throughout the 

 the air. As a body portion. Toward 



t very animated the top it is split to 



form the two spirals. 

 The split begins at D, and the spine must 

 be wound below this. Some use thread 

 for winding; others use strips of rice paper 

 with paste. The paper shrinks and draws 

 the windings ver>^ tight. The bamboo is 

 curved by heating it over a flame and 

 bending it while hot. 



The wing pieces B and B are lashed to- 

 gether at X and are wound to Y, where 

 they separate and form the lower circles 

 secured at Z. Continuous pieces .4, A are 

 crossed and extended to form feelers. The 

 paper on the lower edges of the wings is 

 not turned over the string as in the tailless 



Flower-garden kites. The designs 

 are original. When high in the 

 sky, with the sun behind them, 

 these kites were very effective 



The dragon kite beginning to hump up its back. The boy 

 wears cotton gloves to protect his hands from the string 



