370 lewis' AMERICAN SPORTSMAN. 



the heaviest soles, weighing perhaps several pounds a piece, 

 independent of the mud which generally adheres to them. A 

 pair of boots of this description, hanging like lumps of lead to 

 one's feet, will tire and wear out any Sportsman, no matter how 

 strong he may be, in just half the time than if he had used a 

 pair of strong and light boots. 



Some of our Sporting friends, however, who are as averse to 

 getting their feet wet as a cat is to moistening her paws, insist 

 upon water-proof boots with leggins of India rubber cloth at- 

 tached to the tops of them, and made to fasten half way up the 

 leg. This plan, with some caution in picking out our way over 

 the ditches and mud-holes generally, will no doubt succeed very 

 well; but when we follow Snipe, we seldom have either the 

 patience or time to hunt up good crossings, or sound every mud- 

 hole for a firm footing, and therefore take it pretty much rough- 

 and-tumble, just as it comes. 



We have tried laced boots, but have discarded them entirely, 

 as we dislike to have our legs exposed by rolling our pants up, 

 and we have an equal aversion to have them dangling muddy 

 and wet around our feet; we have, however, never made use 

 of leggins, recommended in connection with laced boots for this 

 kind of shooting ; they no doubt would answer a very good 

 purpose. 



DRESSING FOR SHOOTING BOOTS. 



There are a great variety of receipts for making mixtures 

 calculated to render boots water-proof when dressed with them ; 

 we will give some of them for what they are worth, leaving our 

 friends to make a more thorough trial of their qualities than 

 we have had an inclination to do as yet, for we have never been 

 over anxious to preserve our feet dry, and, when we did think 

 worth while to make the effort, we have never found any prepa- 

 rations much superiorto a good greasing with dubbing the night 

 before going out, and stopping up the seams with a mixture of 

 beeswax and grease melted slowly over the fire, or with a tallow 

 candle at the moment of going out for the day. . 



Porter's edition of Ilaivher furnishes us with all necessary 

 information on this subject, and we might pass the matter by 



