Fig. 33. [↑]
Still one other combination is a form that can be used as a foundation for many outline shapes. It is shown in [Fig. 28], and has two spines and two bows; but where much modification is made, a tail or other balancers must be used. A kite with a broken bow is like a bird with a broken wing, but if broken in the center it can be redeemed for service by the addition of a cross-stick, as shown in [Fig. 29]. The broken part should be well lashed together. A kite could be successfully planned in this way from the beginning. It is possible to make a number of geometric or representative forms as tailless kites, but representative forms as a rule need tails.
Fig. 34. [↑]
Fig. 35. [↑]
The shield, [Fig. 30], is one of the tailless kites and the writer succeeded very well with a two bowed tailless in the shape of a six pointed star. See [Fig. 32].
Perhaps the largest group in real variation is that in which kites with tails or other forms of balances are found. And first and foremost, comes our grandfathers’ old English bow kite, [Fig. 18], having a bow that curves upward, but not backward, over the end of a single spine. Tassels were added at each side of the kite at the termination of each end of the bow, and a long tail of rolled papers tied to a string with a cloth hanging at the end was attached to the bottom of the spine.