SNOW-SHOES. 



The proper form of a snow-shoe and the mode of fastening 

 it to the foot are shown in the illustration on the opposite page. 

 The frame of the shoe should be made of ash or some other 

 sti-ong, elastic wood. The interlacing should be composed of 

 strips of deer-skin, moose-skin, or untanned neat's hide. Two 

 methods are followed in fastening the interlacing to the sides 

 or bow of the shoe. In one case the bow is firmly and close!}'- 

 wound with strips of skin, and the interlacing is fastened 

 into the winding. In the other case the winding is omitted 

 and the interlacing is fastened through holes bored at regular 

 intervals in the bow. Snow-shoes are indispensable to the 

 trapper wherever deep snows prevail. 



OIL FOR FIRE-ARMS. 



The trapper should always be provided with oil for his guns. 

 Probably the best kind he can use is purified neat's-foot oil. 

 It is prepared in this way : Drop a few strips of lead or some 

 shot into a bottle of the oil and then place it in the sun's rays. 

 A heavy deposit will take place, filling the lower part of the 

 bottle. The upper part becomes bright and limpid, and by a 

 repetition of the process may be so effectually purified that it 

 will never be liable to viscidity. It is in this manner that 

 watchmakers purify the oil used in lubricating their delicate 

 machinery. Oil prepared from the fat of the Ruffed Grouse 

 is also good for fire arms when the -above cannot be obtained. 



