The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-01-24

tissue paper in the finest fragile man. ner; it is secured merely at the cor ners, and only serves the purpose or keeping the tissue paper extended flat and taut. Where the tail should com mence a small square of paper IS at tached, just about sufficient to cause one end to be recognized from the other. The cotton is now attached, and the kite balanced, so as to form a suitable resisting plane to the air. The whole often weighs less than one ounce. In the evenings in Gengal a steady breeze blows inland from the bay. It is then that from the housetops the little European community in the smaller towns often amuse themselves with the sport of kite flying; and there is sport in it, as I shall presently show As many as dozen of these little Bengal kites may be seen in the air at time, of all colors, and many of them parti- colored, giving very pretty effect. The experts in the game would fly tandem of say, a red and blue kite, The abil- ity to do this, though requiring little skill, may be soon acquired with prac- tice. One kite is sent up on a couple of hundred yards of thread; then an- other on about a hundred yards; the two threads are then knotted together, and thus connected with single line, which may be run out several hundred yards more.
 The inland breeze from the bay is so suitable, being gentle and steady, for fling the kites that no difficulty what ever is experienced in causing them to ascend; they will fly straight away from the hand, which is, of course, necessary in so confined a space as housetop. The line may be paid out quickly, and in few moments a con- siderable altitude is attained. It is re- markable, too, what great amount of air pressure these little Bengali kites will stand. On hauling them down the sides of the tissue papre will often be found serrated with the wind like saw edge. They will fly equally we'll in this country when suitable atmospheric conditions prevail, as I have often proved
 When a number oe kites were flying of an evening of course some would get in the way of the others, and this started the sport By judicious hand ling of kite it's line could be jockeyed across the line of another, saving the latter through, releasing the kite, and thus removing one opponent from the field, greatly to the amusement of the remainder of the kite flyers, and propor- tionately to the chagrin of it's owner. Then evening after evening the discom- fited one would try with fresh kite to pay back with interest the injury he had received This soon led to the survival of the Attest.
 All cotton lines were quickly put out of the field, and thread was the order of the day. The great success of one competitor made us all suspicious that he possessed some undue advantage, and at last the secret leaked out-he had applied glass powder to his line by means of some gummy substance. This was trick he had previously bor- rowed from the Chinese, who are adopts in kite flying, as in many other ecien- tfic amusements For while he was cutting our threads right and left, and being an old hand at the flying, all the fun was for some time on his side. From the time his secret was discovered a demand sprang up in the village for thread so treated, of which the dealers were not slow to take advantage, and we were once more on an equality.
 The greatest success that fell to my lot in the game was with kite made with half black and half white tissue paper. It was a splendid flyer, and from its very color, or absence of color, could be distinguished a great distance off. After bringing down couple of opponents, it became known as the Pirate" and accordingly received great deal of attention from all colored kites, which might aptly be described in such a connection as flags of all nationalities."
 For several evenings in succession the Pirate promptly tackled all chal- lengers, and, indeed, for whole week seemed invin6ible. But, as all cham pions must have their day and all rec ords go by the board, one evening the Pirate was successfully engaged by red kite, and as my line was severed and the good old Pirate floated away in the distance a yell of exultation was raised by all the occupants of the neighboring housetops. The Pirate" had brought down five of his kind, and though I made and flew under many other black and white Bengali kites, I never succeeded in building another Pirate
 If by these few notes I have raised any interest in what is certainly the good fresh air fun of kite flying shall be gratified. There are numerous forms of kites besides the ordinary English pattern-n fact many varieties of box kites may be obtained commercially in this country That the latter should have been thought of sufficient import ance to be patented in many countries shows that kite flying is on teh increase as an amusement, and the art has now been taken regularly into the service of meteorological science. Special kinds and combinations of kites have been invented for the purpose, and are equipped with automatic recording thermometers, barometers, cts. In 1900 1t was reported that a box kite had safely returned with It's records from height of 14,OOO feet,-Chambers' Journal.
 HIS INNING.
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