D. C. B.

Flushing, June 1, 1900.

CONTENTS.

PART I.
FAIR WEATHER IDEAS.
CHAPTER I.
PAGE
Tree-Top Club Houses[3]
The River Rats, [5]; A Tree-top Retreat, [6]; The Secret Grape-vine Route, [7]; A Club-house in the Tree-tops, [8]; A Two-tree House, [9]; How to Build the Foundation, [14]; The One-tree House, [16]; A Three- and Four-tree Foundation, [18].
CHAPTER II.
Hunting Without a Gun[19]
How to Capture and Trap Small Live Animals, [19]; Rodents or Gnawers, [21]; A Smudge, [22]; Flying Squirrels, [23]; White-footed Mice, [25]; Short-tailed Meadow-rats, [26]; Jumping Mice, [27]; Woodchucks, [27]; A Box Trap, [30]; Musk-rats, [31].
CHAPTER III.
The Back-yard Zoo[33]
The Study of Living Animals, [33]; Size of Lot, [35]; Galvanized Iron Wire Cloth or Netting, [36]; The Mesh, [36]; To Make a Cage of Galvanized Wire Netting, [39]; The Door, [40]; The Doors for the Runway, [40]; Toads, [43]; Frogs, [44]; Peepers, [44]; The Tree-frog, [45]; The Anderson Frog, [45]; Lizards, [45].
CHAPTER IV.
A Back-yard Fish-pond[48]
How to Make a Fish-pond, [48]; By Sinking a Wooden Tank in the Ground, [49]; Best Form for Such a Tank, [49]; To Prevent Wood from Decay, [50]; When to Stock, [52]; Fresh-water Clams, [53].
CHAPTER V.
Pigeon Lofts and Bantam Coops[54]
A Pigeon Loft and Bantam Coop, [55]; Lumber, [56]; Pigeon-loft Floor, [56]; Shutter Frames, [56]; Roofing Material, [57]; Doors, [58]; The Shutters, [59]; Cleanliness, [59]; The Hen’s Nest, [59]; The Pigeon’s Nest, [60]; For a Hen Roost, [60]; Drinking Troughs, [61]; Flying Cage, [62].
CHAPTER VI.
How to Make a Back-yard Aviary[63]
Birds’ Nests in Washington’s Coat, [63]; Nests in Speaking Horn, [63]; A Woodpecker’s House, [64]; Martin Houses, [66]; The Wren House, [66]; Tin-can Bird-house, [68]; A House of Straw, [68]; A Barrel for a Martin House, [68].
CHAPTER VII.
A Boy’s Back-yard Workshop[72]
How to Make Buildings Plumb and Level, [72]; Tools, [73]; A Level, [74]; A Foundation, [76]; How to Build the House, [77]; Corner Posts, [81]; The Window, [82]; Side Plate, [82]; The Rafters, [84]; Machine-Shop, [85]; Tool Rack, [86].
CHAPTER VIII.
How to Build an Underground Club-house[89]
A Doorway at the Top, [89]; The Trap-door, [90]; Dimensions of House, [90]; New Lumber, [92]; Framing, [92]; Passageway, [93]; Windows, [94]; The Roof, [94]; A Ventilator, [95]; Dangerous Caves, [96].
CHAPTER IX.
A Boys’ Club-house on the Water[97]
Crusoe Clubs, [97]; Foundation of Club-house, [97]; The Building Material, [98]; The Foundation Posts, [100]; The Bottom of the Pond, [101]; Temporary Diagonal Braces, [103]; An Artificial Island, [104].
CHAPTER X.
How to Have Fun on a Picnic[105]
Joggling Board, [105]; Turnpike Loo, [106]; Dinner Box, [106]; Rhode Island Clam Bake, [107]; Pennsylvania Pond Stew, [107]; Burgoo, [107]; How to Cook a Burgoo, [108]; A Game of Jack Fagots, [110]; Old Dan Tucker, [110]; Pitch-peg-pin Pitching, [112]; Lawn Hab-enihan, [114].
CHAPTER XI.
How to Build and How to Furnish a Daniel Boone Cabin[116]
The Ghosts of the Fireplace, [116]; The Log House, [118]; Suitable Timber, [118]; The “Skid,” [118]; The Foundation, [120]; Floor Joists, [120]; Floor Supports, [120]; Log Rolling, [121]; Door and Window Openings, [121]; The Fireplace, [122]; The Roof, [123]; The Bunks, [123]; A Lincoln Bed, [124]; The Door, [125]; The Lamp, [127]; The Chimney, [130]; A Table, [131]; General Camp Notes for Old Boys, [132]; How the Women Should Dress, [133]; The Requirements for a Camp, [133]; Making the Shack, [135]; The Brush Covered Lean-to, [136]; Tents with Roofed Verandas, [136]; What is needed for Table and Larder, [137].
CHAPTER XII.
Flat-boatman’s Horn[137]
Whittling, [137]; Wooden Bugles, [141]; The Old Wooden Horn of Captain Bob Collins, [142]; The Wabash Horn, [143]; How to Make a Wabash Horn, [144]; The Mouth-piece, [144].
CHAPTER XIII.
The American Boy’s House-boat[146]
Building Material, [150]; The Centre-piece, [151]; The Sides, [151]; The Bottom, [154]; The Cabin, [157]; Deck-ribs, [157]; The Keel, [159]; Flooring, [159]; The Hatch, [160]; Upper Deck, [160]; The Rafters, [160]; The Rudder, [163]; Rowlocks, [163]; Ash Poles, [164]; The Locker, [164]; Canvas-cabined House-boat, [166]; The Cost of House-boats, [167]; For People of Limited Means, [168].
CHAPTER XIV.
A Back-yard Switchback[170]
The Wheels, [170]; The Flange, [171]; The Axles, [172]; The Bottom of the Car, [172]; Starting Platform, [173]; The Track, [178]; A Curved Track, [178]; Cross-ties or Sleepers, [179]; Ticket-chopper’s Box, [180].
CHAPTER XV.
How to Build a Toboggan-slide in the Back-yard[182]
Slipperies, [182]; A War-time Slippery, [182]; Tropical Toboggan-slide, [184]; A Frame, [185]; A Toboggan Room, [186]; Packing the Slide or Chute, [186].
PART II.
RAINY DAY IDEAS.
CHAPTER XVI.
A Home-made Circus[191]
The Bath-tub as a Receiving-tank, [191]; A Water-wheel, [192]; The Shaft, [192]; Paddles, [193]; Hanging-bars, [194]; Figures which Move, [198].
CHAPTER XVII.
Good Games with Toothpicks and Matches[201]
A Simple Toothpick Example, [203]; To Lift Three Safety-matches with One Toothpick, [203]; A Spring-bed, [204]; Artificial Water, [206]; A Bridge of Matches, [206]; The Piers, [207]; The Approaches, [207]; The Roof, [207]; A Pioneer Settlement, [208]; The Chimneys, [208].
CHAPTER XVIII.
Fun with Scissors and Pasteboard and Paper[210]
How to Make the Sleigh, [211]; How to Make the Horses, [212]; To Cut out the Horse, [213]; The Pole, [213]; The Driver’s Whip, [215]; Pasteboard Soldiers, [215]; Stirrups, [216]; How to Make the Soldiers, [216]; To Make an Army, [217]; Grandmother’s Reticule, [218]; To Cut a Five-pointed Star with One Clip of the Scissors, [220]; To Make a Cross Into a Square with Two Cuts, [221].
CHAPTER XIX.
How to Prepare and Give a Boys’ Chalk-talk[222]
The Name Chalk-talk, [224]; Drawing-board, [225]; Size of Board, [226]; Height of Easel, [226]; The Drawings Themselves, [227]; How to Begin, [227]; A Stationary Object, [229]; Motion, [230]; Evolution of the Ape, [234].
CHAPTER XX.
A Christmas Novelty for Boys[237]
How to Build and Decorate a Fireplace for Santa Claus, [237]; The First Start, [237]; Back of the Chimney, [238]; The Front Frame, [240]; The Covering, [243]; To Line the Inside of the Fireplace, [243]; Our American St. Nicholas, [243]; Costume for Santa Claus, [245]; How to Put on the Clothes, [246].
CHAPTER XXI.
How to Make Two Boys into One Santa Claus[248]
How the Legs are Made, [249]; The Wig and Beard, [249]; The Curtains, [249]; The Sleigh, [250]; The Signal for Legs, [251]; The Distribution of the Presents, [251].
CHAPTER XXII.
A Circus in the Attic[253]
How to Make the Horses and Other Animals, and How to Make the Costumes, [253]; The Goat, [253]; The Arab Steed, [254]; The Neck-bones, [255]; The Ribs, [255]; The Frame, [256]; The Reins, [256]; To Make the Giant Bird of New Zealand, [257]; The Manicora, [257]; The Ring-master and his Costume, [259]; Making Up, [262].
CHAPTER XXIII.
A Boys’ Stag-party[263]
Target Shooting, [263]; To Make the Target, [263]; Carpet Tacks as Darts for the Blow-gun, [264]; Vegetable Bonbon Boxes, [265]; A “Fake” Cake, [266]; The Shooting, [267]; The Spread, [268]; The Explosion of the “Fake” Cake, [268].
CHAPTER XXIV.
A Wild West Show in the House[270]
How to Reproduce the Patterns, [270]; Making the Cowboy, Horse, and Indian, [273]; For a Bridle, [274]; The Indian Horseman, [275]; The Buffalo, [276]; The Stage, [277].
CHAPTER XXV.
How to Have a Panorama Show[278]
Choice of Subject, [278]; Hunting Suitable Pictures, [279]; Colored Figures, [280]; The Works of the Panorama, [281]; The Stage, [282]; Footlights, [282]; How the Panorama Box is Built, [283]; The Rollers, [284]; Show-bills, [286]; The Lecture, [287].
Index[289]

PART I.

FAIR WEATHER IDEAS.