Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 90.djvu/844

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��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

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��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

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