HINTS TO SPORTSMEN. 27 



chanical lamp which burns any kind of oil, and does not 

 require a glass chimney, will be found exceedingly conven- 

 ient on some occasions, especially if reading at night is any 

 pleasure ; and it is, for one frequently gets weary of the 

 same class of tales when repeated too often. This lamp 

 can also be used for cooking a steak, or boiling a tea or a 

 coffee pot, which it does in a few minutes ; and as it cannot 

 be blown out by any ordinary breeze, and the oil cannot be 

 spilled, it is well adapted to tent life. 



Persons should always carry a generous supply of match- 

 es, and, to preserve them from dampness, they ought to be 

 packed in a bottle or a rubber bag ; for they are very pre- 

 cious things when the place where they may be purchased 

 is many miles distant. Soap and towels should also be 

 abundant, especially the former, for a bath in the limpid 

 stream after a hard day's toil is a luxury indeed, and, if 

 taken in the morning, it acts both as a mental and physical 

 invigorator. 



The clothing of a hunter who would be successful ought 

 to be of a dull, neutral, or pepper-and-salt tint, so that ani- 

 mals may not be startled by the presence of any unusual 

 hue, and that he may the more readily conceal himself in 

 timber, on the prairie, or amidst mountain crags. Light 

 colors are better than very dark ones, as the latter contrast 

 strongly with the ground or foliage, and are therefore more 

 readily seen ; whereas a drab, a butternut, or a light brown 

 can scarcely be distinguished at any distance from many 

 natural objects in the surrounding landscape. For work- 

 ing in the woods in spring or summer, the former tints are 

 preferable to all others ; but for the autumn, or even for 

 mountain shooting, the "pepper-and-salt" cloth, or some 

 kindred material, is by many persons deemed the best. 

 The clothing worn should be made loose, so as to give free- 

 dom of movement, and the older it is, consistent with com- 

 fort and appearance, the better it is ; for one does not care 

 for it then so much, and he " roughs " it without any com- 

 punctions of conscience about a tailor's bill ; and if it should 

 get torn into shreds he feels that he has not lost much. 



