828 



Popular Science Monthly 



Tongs for the Fish That Swallows 

 His Hook 



THE fish that swallows bait and hook 

 is not a joy to the angler. Getting 

 the hook out is no easy task. But the task 

 is simplified by using the very handy device 

 shown in the illustration. In any case 

 where the hook has not been swallowed 

 further than the 

 gullet the device 

 enables the fish- 

 erman to get 

 hold of it. 



The device is 

 made from one 

 piece of elastic 

 steel wire bent 

 in the shape of 

 a pair of tongs. 

 The ends of the 

 two arms of the tongs are sharpened to a 

 point. When a fish has been caught which 

 has swallowed the hook, the arms of the 

 tongs are compressed and their ends are in- 

 serted in the fish's mouth. The arms will 

 then spring apart and hold the jaws open. 



The two arms of these tongs are also 

 provided with metal plates. These can be 

 used for obtaining a firm hold upon the 

 tongs. The lower plate, it will be noticed, 

 has a set of teeth sharpened on one side, 

 while a cutting edge is sharpened on the 

 other. Thus, this instrument also furnishes 

 a scraper for scaling the fish, and a knife 

 for cutting it open. 



When the tongs are in- 

 serted in the fish's mouth 

 they spring back and hold 

 the jaws stretched open 



humb plate 



The Acids of Fruit Are the Best 

 Mouth Cleansers 



UNLESS the teeth are very badly dam- 

 aged or eroded, the acids of fruit, 

 such as that contained in grapes, oranges, 

 lemons or apples, will be found to be a 

 satisfactory mouth-wash. The advice of a 

 dentist should be sought, however, to de- 

 termine the condition of the teeth and to 

 decide whether an alkaline or acid wash is 

 preferable for the individual case. But 

 there is no question as to the efficacy of 

 the food acids in removing quickly and en- 

 tirely the mucous films that are the first 

 stages of dental decay. 



An apple eaten in the evening will 

 cleanse the teeth mechani- 

 cally and chemically, and if 

 followed by vigorous brush- 

 ing will protect them from 

 bacteria during the night. 



Catching Flies by the Barrelful 

 with a Home-Made Trap 



THIS simple but very efficient fly-trap 

 is nothing but a common barrel with 

 a cone of wire screening fastened into one 

 of the ends and extending up into the barrel 

 about half-way. The apex of the cone is 

 cut off so there will be a hole one inch in 

 diameter through which the flies escape up 



into the barrel. 

 Three little 

 blocks, which 

 hold the barrel 

 about two inches 

 off the ground, 

 form the en- 

 trance to the 

 trap. A pan con- 

 taining molasses 

 or other bait is 

 set on the 

 ground, and the 

 barrel is placed 

 directly over it. 

 The flies swarm under the barrel and feed, 

 but instead of leaving by the way they 

 entered, their natural instinct will be to 

 fly up into the cone, being attracted by the 

 light streaming down into the barrel 

 through the top, which is covered over 

 with a piece of screening. 



Set the trap out of doors and forget it for 

 a few days, at the end of which time you 

 will probably have a catch resembling the 

 one illustrated, and your neighborhood will 

 send you a vote of thanks. 



scaler 



At left of the picture is shown a collection of dead flies caught 

 in the barrel trap shown on the right in forty-eight hours 



