SUITABLE HUNTING DRESS. 287 



the head and body against the heat of the sun, while the feet 

 and lower portions of the legs must necessarily be wet and 

 cold ; accordingly the most suitable hat and dress must be 

 adopted as the preliminary step. For the former, one of 

 " sola " (or pith, as it is often called), thick, well- ventilated, 

 and of the shape styled " Jung-Bahadur," is the best, since it 

 protects the neck by a drooping brim behind, and its almost 

 horizontal peak in front does not interfere with the aim when 

 firing high, as would be the case if the front peak bent down- 

 wards like that behind, or like those of helmets. Care should 

 be taken that this hat be made of " sola " only, and not of 

 paper and "sola" mixed, as are those hawked about the 

 streets and sold in the cheap native shops of Calcutta; if 

 the former, it will be extremely light, and will give readily 

 to pressure between finger and thumb, whereas the inferior 

 and adulterated article will be much heavier and less yielding 

 to the touch. Besides, having the inner band separated a 

 quarter of an inch from the sides, the hat should have a ven- 

 tilator above, or, failing that, holes should be made in the 

 sides with a knife-blade struck horizontally into the hat so as 

 to exclude the sun's rays. I knew an excellent sportsman 

 who for many years persisted in wearing a white or drab 

 chimney-pot hat when out snipe-shooting, and who shot thus 

 covered many seasons without suffering on account of his 

 strange predilection, and might, no doubt, have shot many 

 more had he not been killed by a tiger, while gallantly 

 aiding a fellow-sportsman. Such a head-cover cannot, how- 

 ever, be recommended, not because it would ultimately lead 

 its wearer to the same untimely end, but because it does not 

 protect the nape of the neck (a very delicate part) from the 

 sun, nor the eyes from the glare. I believe that many a sun- 

 stroke is received through the eyes. A proper " sola " hat for 

 snipe-shooting, then, should be light and thick, and it should 

 afford protection to the nape of the neck, as well as shade to 

 the eyes, without impeding the aim. 



When the heat is very great, as it often will be in Sep- 

 tember and October, pieces of fresh young plantain-leaves, 



