WADERS AND WADING. in 



wading stockings, but very much lighter — and this is con- 

 tinued at the foot under Hght buff leather boots, kept in 

 position by a strap across the instep. The ' sum tottle of the 

 whole,' as Mr. Hume used to say, is that whereas a similar pair 

 of ordinary wading stockings and boots (coming up only an 

 inch or two higher) weigh between five and six pounds — more 

 often nearer six than five— the Over-knee waders are, for a 

 man of six feet, barely over three pounds — not much more than 

 one half, and little, if at all, in excess of the weight of an 

 ordinary pair of shooting boots. There are many anglers, not 

 quite so young as they used to be, to whom the weight of the 

 orthodox waders is almost prohibitive; and there are many 

 others who, though like myself, quite up to ' carrying weight ' 

 when really necessary, object to doing so when no real neces- 

 sity exists. And all this holds good just as much in the case 

 of the Trout-fisher as the Pike-fisher. Perhaps, indeed, even 

 more; inasmuch as, whilst the enforced wadings of the one 

 are more or less exceptional and intermittent, those of the 

 other are the normal conditions of his sport. I often think 

 that the question of ' weight-carrying ' in the matter of dress 

 and equipment generally is less studied than it ought to be 

 by sportsmen. A man will give fifty guineas more for a pair 

 of Purdey guns, because they weigh perhaps a few ounces 

 less than a pair by some other maker — with, as he believes, an 

 equal chance of safety to his head — and he knows by experience 

 how those few ounces will ' tell ' towards the end of a long day's 

 tramp over a grouse moor. In all this he is, so far as avoirdu- 

 pois is concerned, perfectly right — but why does he not go a 

 step further and devote a little attention to the weight of the 

 other portions of his equipment ? Why, for instance, will he 

 allow his bootmaker to put nearly a pound more into his 

 shooting boots than is really necessary ? As I have said, the 

 weight of the latter is usually not far short of three pounds, 

 whereas, two pounds is nearer the weight that is really necessary, 

 if the bootmaker is anything of an artist in his business. By 

 using one very thick and solid piece of leather for the sole, and 



