laced in
the cockpit for convenience. A chock is placed at the bow for
tying up to piers. Several coats of good paint complete the boat.
--Contributed by O. E. Tronnes, Wilmette, Ill.

** A Home-Made Hand Vise [201]

A very useful little hand vise can easily be made from a hinge and
a bolt carrying a wing nut. Get a fast

[Illustration: Hand Vise Made from a Hinge]

joint hinge about 2 in. or more long and a bolt about 1/2 in. long
that will fit the holes in the hinge. Put the bolt through the
middle hole of the hinge and replace the nut as shown in the
drawing. With this device any small object may be firmly held by
simply placing it between the sides of the hinge and tightening
the nut.

** Proper Design for a Bird House [201]

This bird house was designed and built to make a home for the
American martin. The house will accommodate 20 families. All the
holes are arranged so they will not be open to the cold winds from
the north which often kill the birds which come in the early
spring. Around each opening is an extra ring of wood to make a
longer passage which assists the martin inside in fighting off the
English

[Illustration: Bird House]

sparrow who tries to drive him out. The holes are made oval to
allow all the little ones to get their heads out for fresh air.
The long overhanging eaves protect the little birds from the hot
summer sun. The rooms are made up with partitions on the inside so
each opening will have a room. The inside of the rooms should be
stained black.

** Boomerangs and How to Make Them [202]

A boomerang is a weapon invented and used by the native
Australians, who seemed to have the least intelligence of any race
of mankind. The

[Illustration: Details of Three Boomerangs]

boomerang is a curved stick of hardwood, Fig. 1, about 5/16 in.
thick, 2-1/2 in. wide and 2 ft. long, flat on one side, with the
ends and the other side rounding. One end of the stick is grasped
in one hand with the convex edge forward and the flat side up and
thrown upward. After going some distance and ascending slowly to a
great height in the air with a quick rotary motion, it suddenly
returns in an elliptical orbit to a spot near the starting point.
If thrown down on the ground the boomerang rebounds in a straight
line, pursuing a ricochet motion until the object is struck at
which it was thrown.

Two other types of boomerangs are illustrated herewith and they
can be made as described. Th