out and get the cone of a Norway Spruce tree, or a White Spruce; this
is the body of your Fish. Cut two round spots of white paper for eyes,
glue them on, and when dry, put a black ink spot in the middle of each.
Add a curved piece of paper on each side for gills. Then with an awl or
with the point of the scissors make holes in the sides, in which put
fins cut out of brown paper, fixing them in with glue. Then, with the
knife blade, make a long cut in the back, and split the tail, and in
each cut glue a thick piece of brown paper cut fin shape. When dry, draw
lines on these with ink. Now you have a good Fish.

For the pond, take a cigar-box, paint the lower quarter of it dark
green, and the upper part shaded into light blue, for sky. Glue a piece
of glass or else carwindow celluloid level across this near the bottom.
This is for water. Hide all the back and side edges of the glass with
clay banks as described in the Monkey-hunt, or with moss glued on. Put a
fine black thread to the Fish's back, another to his tail, and hang
him level above the water by fastening the threads to the top of the
box. Label it "Pond Life" or the "Fish at Home."

TALE 79

Smoke Prints of Leaves

[Illustration: Smoke Prints of Leaves]

Collect one or two leaves that have strongly marked ribs; elm and
raspberry are good ones. Take a piece of paper that is strong, but
rather soft, and about as big as this page. Grease, or oil it all over
with paint-oil, butter, or lard. Then hold it, grease-side down, in the
smoke of a candle, close to the flame, moving it about quickly so that
the paper won't burn, until it is everywhere black with soot.

Lay the paper flat on a table, soot-side up, on a piece of blotting
paper. Lay the leaf on this; then, over that, a sheet of paper. Press
this down over all the leaf. Lift the leaf and lay it on a piece of
soft, white paper; press it down as before, with a paper over it, on
which you rub with one hand while the other keeps it from slipping; lift
the leaf, and on the lower paper you will find a beautiful line-drawing
of the leaf, done in black ink; which, once it is dry, will never rub
out or fade away.

At one corner write down the date and the name of the leaf.

TALE 80

Bird-boxes

[Illustration: Bird-boxes]

You can win honours in Woodcraft if you make a successful bird-box. That
is one made by yourself, and used by some bird to raise its brood in.

There are three kinds of birds that are