MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 389 



have seldom been caught in the unfortunate situation above alluded 

 to. There are, however, some other objections attending the own- 

 ership of a pair of tight boots, particularly when damp ; that is, 

 they are very inconvenient to get on, and, we might say, still worse 

 to pull off. And, moreover, nothing injures the stiffening of the 

 heels so much, and makes them perfectly good-for-nothing, as 

 tugging at them with a bootjack or working into them with the 

 toe of the other foot or over the cross-bar of a chair: the stiff 

 sole leather with which the heel is braced becomes perfectly soft, 

 and consequently will be sure to run over on the next trial. What 

 is more ludicrous than to see a bad-tempered man, half bent, danc- 

 ing and prancing over a small bar-room, with one foot in a slipper 

 and the other stuck fast half-way down a tight boot, striving in 

 vain with all the energies of his body to force it on ? Such scenes 

 are not uncommon among sportsmen, and often give rise to much 

 merriment on the part of the "knowing ones." That a tight boot is 

 very uncomfortable, no -one will deny; and a boot made too large 

 for the foot has likewise its inconveniences, as it will be sure to 

 ride up and down on the heel, and sooner or later will rub the foot 

 into blisters of the most painful character. There is a happy 

 medium between these two evils of loose and tight boots, which 

 every intelligent mechanic knows how to arrive at without any 

 directions from the sportsman; "in a word, the boot should be 

 made to fit the foot, and not the foot to fit the boot," as is too 

 often the case. 



Shooting-boots should be made of stout calfskin of the very 

 best quality, with broad soles, square toes, wide, deep, and low 

 heels. If the heels be made too narrow and high, the stiffening 

 will soon give way when softened by the long application of mud 

 and water, in connection with the pressure of the heel of the foot, 

 which will soon be carried entirely over the frame of the sole ; and 

 we know of nothing more uncomfortable and fatiguing than to be 

 forced to walk all day long with a "run-over boot." This accident, 

 bad as it is, can hardly be prevented with any degree of caution 

 in snipe-shooting, as the stiffening of the heel becomes so very soft 



