Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 91.djvu/744

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Providing a Treat for the Birds in Cold Weather

THERE is nothing which birds appreci- ate more during cold weather than bits of suet placed conveniently on a tree or other outdoor support. Usually the suet is tied to a tree with a string. But this is not the most satisfactory method, by any means. It entails too much fussing with the string in the cold, and the string does not al- ways hold the suet se- curely enough to pre- vent its being wasted.

��Popular Science Monthly

��Catch

��Position of basket when closed

����Placing the suet in the basket for the birds. When it is filled it is tilted up against the tree and held fast there. At left is shown the basket in detail

��The best device for the purpose is one which has been designed by Beecher S. Bowdish, of Demarest, New Jersey. It consists of a concave basket fastened to a base having legs which clutch the tree and turn up at the ends to form bearings on which the frame of the basket is pivoted.

To fill the basket, you simply unhook it at the top by pressing the two legs to- gether. You can then draw the basket down to horizontal position. After it is filled you tilt it up again and snap the frame over the hooked portion at the top.

��A New Map-Holder for the Aviator. It Holds the Map in a Scroll

MAPS are to the aviator what charts are to the navigator. Not only are they used to keep a pilot going on the most direct course; but also, as the charts enable a ship to keep off dangerous shoals, so do the maps assist in warning an aeronaut of dangerous landing places.

To keep in plain sight the portions of the map which correspond with the territory over which a pilot is flying is there- fore of first importance. A special map- holder had therefore to be in- vented. A photograph of it is given in the illustration below.

The holder is less than a foot square and is placed on the instru- ment board directly in front of the aviator. The long map is wound upon two rollers. By simply turning the proper roller, which is within easy reach, the territory which the airplane is approaching can be located. At night, this map can be easily seen by turning on the electric lights placed in back of it.

��Paper Uniforms the Latest Style for German Soldiers

THE clothing of some German prisoners recently taken by the British was of such a peculiar appearance that the Englishmen decided to analyze it. The uniforms the officers wore were found to have been made of cloth woven from leather fiber, while the enlisted men wore uniforms made from paper fiber. The fabrics resemble the reg- ulation army cloth used for uniforms.

���The map is wound on a roller, and is unwound gradually to reveal the exact location over which the airplane is passing in its flight

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