By Dan Beard
Fig. 12.
Frog Kite.
Still another strange looking kite can be made by using a piece of pliable wood bent in a circular form for the body, and allowing the leg-sticks to protrude above the shoulders to form short arms, the spine extending below the trunk some distance to form the tail to a Frog Kite.
It is not worth while to build one less than two feet high. Let us suppose that the particular batrachian we are now about to make to be just that height; in this case the leg-sticks must be each two feet long, and as you will want to bend them at the knees, these points should be made considerably thinner than the other parts of the sticks.
The spine must be about one foot seven inches long, or a little over three-quarters of the length of the leg-sticks. Place the two latter one above the other, lay the spine on top of them, and see that the top of all three are flush, or perfectly even. Then at a point eight inches from the top, drive a pin through all three sticks, carefully clamping it upon the other side where the point protrudes.
Fig 11.
Frame of Frog Kite.
For the body, take a piece of thin rattan two feet five or six inches in length, bend it into the form of a circle, allowing the ends to overlap an inch or two that they may be firmly bound together with thread by winding it around the joint. The circle will be about eight inches in diameter. Take the three sticks you pinned together and lay them on the floor, spreading them apart in the form of an irregular star, in such a manner that he top of the spine will be about five inches from each; when you have proceeded thus far place the rattan circle over the other sticks; the intersection of the sticks should be the center of the circle; the pins and thread fasten the frame together in this position.
The lower limbs will be spread wide apart; they must be carefully drawn closer together and held in position by a string tied near the termination of each leg-stick. Cross-sticks for hands and feet may now be added, and the strings put on as shown in Fig 11. This kite should be covered with green tissue paper. A few marks of the paint will give it the appearance of Fig. 12. The breast and tail-band can be put on as described in the man kite.
