868 lewis' AMERICAN SPORTSMAN. 



ticularly when damp — that is, they are the very devil to get 

 on, and, we might say, worse than the very devil 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 boot-jack, or working into them with the toe of 

 the other foot or over the crossbar 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. AYhat 

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

 dancing 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." 

 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 heel into blisters of the most painful cha- 

 racter. There is a happy medium between these two evils of 

 loose and tight boots, which every intelligent mechanic knows 

 how to hit 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 tlie pressure of the heel of 

 the foot, Avliich 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, as bad as it is, can hardly be pre- 

 vented with any degree of caution in Snipe-shooting, as the 

 stiffening of the heel becomes so very soft while wading about 

 in the mud and mire, and the walking is so \ery uneven, that 

 the heel almost invariably pushes itself by degrees entirely over 

 the frame, and we have abandoned all hope of ever having a 

 decent-looking pair of boots for this kind of shooting. When, 

 however, they have run over, they may be l^raced up by having 



