up again. If held just over a basin of water, the
notches will send spray a great distance, but you must be careful to
dip them only when the cut-water is revolving away from you, or you
will be soaked.

Whistles

With a sharp knife a very good whistle can be made of hazel or willow,
cut in the spring or early summer. A piece of wood about three inches
long should be used. Remember what an ordinary tin whistle is like,
and cut the mouthpiece at a similar angle, and also cut a little nick
out of the bark, in the place of the hole immediately beyond the
mouthpiece in the metal instrument. Then cut all round the bark about
an inch from the other end of the stick, hold the bark firmly with one
hand clasped round it, and hold the inch at the opposite end firmly
with the fingers of the other, and pull. The greater portion of bark
should slide off quite easily. You will then have a tube of bark about
two inches long, and a white stick about three inches long, with an
inch of bark remaining on it. Cut from the mouthpiece end of this
stick as much as exactly fits between the end and the little nick in
the bark which you have already made. Shave the top until it is flat
(just as in an ordinary whistle), and place it inside the bark again.
Then cut off from the white part of the stick all but a quarter of an
inch: fit this into the other end of the bark tube, and you ought to
get a good shrill whistle. It will be better if you keep a pea inside.

Christmas--Evergreen Decorations

Getting ready for Christmas is almost as good as Christmas itself. The
decorations can be either natural or artificial or a mixture of both.
In using evergreens for ropes, it is best to have a foundation of real
cord of the required length, and tie the pieces of shrub and ivy to
it, either with string or floral wire. This prevents any chance of its
breaking. For a garland or any device of a definite shape, the
foundation could be a stiffer wire, or laths of wood. Ivy chains are
described on page 135.

Paper Decorations

The simplest form of paper chain is made of colored tissue paper and
glue. You merely cut strips the size of the links and join them one by
one.

For paper flowers, paper and tools are especially made. But for the
purposes of home decoration ordinary tissue paper, wire, glue, and
scissors will serve well enough.

Mottoes

Mottoes and good wishes can be lettered in cotton wool on a background
of scarlet or other colored