Page:Kitecraft and kite tournaments (1914).djvu/59

Rh a good length for this kite. The soaring bird, Fig. 102, is quite similar in construction to the preceeding kite. The body is never square in cross-section. A little bow is given to the tip ends of the wings. The back line of the wing changes by means of an extra cord. This kite is not as stable as "The flying Bird."

The "flying fish," Fig. 103, needs vents, as the whole body is a box-kite. Two views of the framework are given; a center spine runs the entire length of the fish with two curves at the mouth. The mouth is left open, so string is used for the outline. The original kite was very mechanically made. It was beyond amateur work and showed that some skilled workman had assisted. Much can be done with the brush to make this a very interesting kite. Scales can be painted and the fins and tail lined up. Wherever vents are placed, there should be a string for the edge of the paper to turn over, or it will tear out.

The "Clown and Donkey," Fig. 57, is the combination of three tailless kites, and is what is known as a compound kite. Fig. 104 is another example of compounding. Fig. 105 shows a star kite compounded together.

Kites in Series. A boy may put up a kite about five hundred feet, and if it is a good flyer, tie the kite line fast and put up another on perhaps three hundred feet of string. If the second is also a steady flyer he can tie the end of that kite line to the first and let out perhaps three hundred feet more of the first line, and again tie it fast. Another kite is added in the same manner as the second and so on. The best flyers of the series should be placed as leaders. Boys have put up as high as forty kites in such a series, and no one has any idea of the beauty of such a series, when looking up from the standpoint of the flyer, until he has actually seen such a combination. Some prefer to take a color scheme and use it for all the kites, others prefer a great variety of colors, and it is hard to tell which is the most pleasing. Tailless kites are used more than any other