How to make the earrings to complete this set of jewelry is shown in [Fig. 117]. First you string a piece of the plantain-stalk, then a barberry; then you put your needle back through the stalk and tie the thread at the top. After that you make the loop to put over your ear as you did in making the seed-pod earring.
Birds of Maple-Tree Seed-Vessels
Fig.118 - Maple seed vessel used as bird wings
You see it is not only the seed-vessels of flowers that can be turned into playthings. The trees also furnish abundant material for toys.
Fig.119 - Maple seed vessel bird.
Gather the winged seed-vessels that fall from the maple-trees, [Fig. 118] is a maple seed-vessel, and let us sit on the dry, sun-warmed grass and turn them into odd little birds like [Fig. 119]. These birds are very near the size of our ruby-throated humming-birds, a trifle larger perhaps, but they do not in the least resemble the beautiful, jewel-colored, long-beaked wild bird, either in looks or habits. However, they are nice, tame, quiet little birds and never object to being handled, played with, and placed on any bush or low tree where you may happen to want to put them. You cannot say that of the humming-bird, can you?