Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-01-20

to the sport of kite-fghting. In fact,
kites are flown usually for fighting pur-
poses. The silk strings are prepared
through their entire length by dipping
them into mixture of fish glue and
powdered glass. A string thus treated
will readily. cut another string that is
crossed by it. In the sport of kite-fght-
ing any kite may be cut down by an
other. The moment two strings are
crossed the players must let out their
lines, as, if one becomes taut, it is cut
Immediately. Sometimes four or five
strings are crossed. and the game lasts
all day. The moment kite is cut down
it is seized by small boys, who are on
the watch for such catastrophes.
In the making of kites shape is no con-
sideration with the Chinese or Japanese.
A square, a circle, a man, a star, fish,
a dragon, horse or a shield will fly
equally well, but they must be equally
proportional. In Japan one sees a whole
menagerie at once in the air-horses,
COWS, monkeys, bats, crows, fishes and
snakes, as well as dragons, babies that
cry, boys with their arms and legs spread
out hunters and soldiers.
Fighting kites" are seen everywhere
in both China and Japan. The armed
kite is usually made about 212 feet high
and covered with cambria or silk. The
tail may be made of strips of bright
colored cloth about one inch wide, Sc
curely tied in the middle to string of
Irvine. The destructive part of this kite
lies in the TAIL. to which are attached
sharp pieces of broken glass called
knives. Fasten three of these knives
together with wax, so that each shall
point in a different direction, bind on
three slips of thin wood lengthwise to
hold the wax and glass firmly and cover
with cloth or kid.
{ A much simpler weapon is made by
n fhn +nr1 Of cfrir rnxrf fo
the kite in glue and then rolling it in
pounded glass until thickly coated with
a glistening armor of sharp points. The
object with both is, of course, to cut
your opponents string. The skillful ma
neuvering that this requires is very good
1t is considered dishonOrable to cut an
unarmed kite.-Washington Star.
The Pouch Gopher.
He is a shy, quiet, thrifty chap, the
gopher, and the passing traveller
through the New Mexican plains invari-
ABLY bestows on him an admiring and
coat are warm, soft. but neutral, blend
| ing with the grays and duns of the
dry, scant heritage and the intermin-
able sands. In such a land brighter
coat would mean a short life. A score
of enemies lie in wait. for. Brother
his foraging expeditions among the sage
brush and potato hillocks at all safe.
The keen-eyed hawk floating high in the
air above the gopher scans the brown
sands and sees no prey. Were the little
digger's back one tinge darker the bird
would be upon him before he could fin
ish gnawing that toothsome root.
He has great use for those queer
pouches of his. Ground nuts, roots, po-
tatoes and seed pods furnish "Geomys.
as the bookworms call the gopher, with
a good living. In the. capacious pouches
which hang from his mouth to his
shoulder he can carry an incredibly
large load. Finding fertile potato hill
or a clump of heavy-laden cookie hurrs
he proceeds to carry the food with all
possible speed to numerous storehouses
under ground. Not until all the prov
ender in sight has been secured will
Mr.. Gopher eat single morsel. There
is thrift for you.
And he does not carry sand or dirt in