MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 369 



heavy pieces of sole-leather sewed on the injured side, and the 

 heel itself slightly raised on the same side, so as to throw the 

 weight of the foot on the opposite side ; in this way they will 

 stand a great deal of hard work, and may, with a little manage- 

 ment, be made to last a long while. We have been so much 

 annoyed with our boots running over while Snipe-shooting, that 

 we proposed to our Bootmaker to put in a metallic plate of some 

 kind between the layers of leather generally used for making 

 the heel stiff, but he made so many objections to our proposition 

 that we were forced to abandon the idea for the. present; how- 

 ever, Ave intend to investigate the subject at some future time. 



Some Sportsmen recommend the use of low laced boots for 

 Snipe-shooting, as they say it is impossible to keep your feet 

 dry, no matter how careful you may be, and therefore it is much 

 better not to worry yourself with long and heavy boots, war- 

 ranted to be icater-proof. We have tried both water-proof boots 

 and non-water-proof bootees, and have at times been equally 

 disgusted with one as the other ; giving the preference now to 

 one and now to the other, until we have at last nearly come to 

 the conclusion that an old pair of easy walking boots with holes 

 in them to let the w\ater run out as fast as it flows in is about as 

 comfortable a kind of boot for Snipe-shooting as one can wear, 

 as the feet will get wet at all hazards — at least our feet will ; for 

 if the boots be made high, even to reach far above the knee, we 

 are sure, some time in the course of a day, to get into a ditch 

 perhaps up to our middle; and as often as we have gone out 

 with the determination of not getting our feet wet, just so often 

 have we returned home with them soaking, and many a pang 

 of rheumatism have we suffered in consequence of our Avant of 

 care. We do not pretend to say that boots cannot be rendered 

 water-proof, for we know to the contrary, and purpose giving 

 some receipts for making even ordinary leather impervious to 

 water; but we Avish to say that, so far as Ave are concerned, Ave 

 haA^e never yet been Snipe-shooting Avithout Avetting our feet; 

 but, at the same time, must confess that Ave are not easily de- 

 terred from crossing a ditch, and neither are we a very expert 

 hand at Avalking a rickety fence-rail or a slippery log. 



Shooting-boots should never be made too heavy: it is a mis- 

 taken idea to have them made of the stoutest leather and with 

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