288 THE PRACTICAL HORSESHOER. 



Through the nervousness or inability of the executioner 

 numbers of the poor animals are needlessly toi'tured when 

 it becomes necessaiy to put them to death. The American 

 Soci^ety for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has formulat- 

 ed the following" rules : 



First. — Shoot with a 32-caliber or larger pistol, at the 

 point indicated by a dot in Fig. 140, placing the muzzle 

 within a few inches of the head. 



Second. — Aim four or five inches above the head. 



Third. — Be careful not to shoot too low. 



Fig. 142— The Theodore Knot Shown at C in Fig. 141. 



Cowboy Halter. 



In this connection is illustrated one of those marvelous 

 productions of the wild West, a cow-boy halter. The artist 

 has succeeded in very f ull^^ portraying the appearance ,of 

 this remarkable piece of harness, even to the wonderful 

 knots which it contains. 



In adjusting the halter the rope at the point A, Fig. 141, 

 goes back of the ears. B is the brow band in front of the 

 ears, and is always made of light leather, as there is no 

 strain on it. C is perhaps, all things considered, the most 

 remarkable knot ever tied. There are only a few people, 

 it is said, in the West even, who understand its in- 

 tricacies. It is called the " Theodore knot," and is said to 



