Stránka:tales 1921.djvu/204

x8a Woodland Tales the new interest that all sorts of queer weeds take on, when we view them as canes or palms for our little jungle. Now with the spoils of our hunt, let us go home and pre^ serve the trophies. Cut off about three inches of the elderberry wood and have it clear of knots; cut a flat ended ramrod so as just to fit the bore, and force out the pith with one clean sharp push: or else whittle away the surrounding wood. The latter way gives a better quality of pith. Now take a piece of the pith about one-third the size of a big pussy-willow, use a very sharp knife and you will find it easy to whittle it into a Monkey's head about the shape of "a" and "b." Use a very sharp-pointed, soft black pencil to make the eyes, nose, the Une for the mouth and the shape of the ears; or else wait till the pith is quite dry, then use a fine pen with ink. If you are skilful with the knife you may cut the ears so that they hang as in "d." Stick an ordinary pin right down through the crown of the head into a big pussy-willow that will serve as a body (e). If you glue the head on it is harder to do, but it keeps the body from being mussed up. Cut two arms of the pith (ff) and two feet (gg), drawing the lines for the fingers and toes, with the sharp black pencil, or else ink as before. Cut a long, straight pointed piece of pith for a tail, dip it in boiling water, then bend it to the right shape "h." Cut a branch of the sumac so that it is about four inches high, and of the style for a tree; nail this on a block of wood to make it stand. Sometimes it is easier to bore a hole in the stand and wedge the branch into that. Set the Monkey on the limb by driving the pin into it as at "i," or else glueing it on; and glue on the limbs and