screwed to opposite sides of the end of the pole, and so
formed as to present a curved crotch. Such a stick will be found
very useful for pushing through weeds and muddy places. A simple
pole trimmed so as to leave a crotch at the end will also answer
the purpose very well.

SNOW-SHOES.

These commodities are almost indispensable to the trapper where
he pursues his vocation in the winter time, during the prevalence
of deep snows. When properly made they permit the wearer to walk
over the surface of the snow with perfect ease; where, without
them, travel would be extremely difficult if not impossible.

In the regions of perpetual snow, and also in Canada and neighboring
districts, snow-shoes are very commonly worn. In the latter localities
the "snow-shoe race" forms one of the favorite sports of the season,
and young and old alike join in its mysteries. Like riding on the
velocipede, walking on snow-shoes looks "easy enough," but we notice
that a few somersaults are usually a convincing argument that the art
is not as simple as it appears. The first experience on snow-shoes
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is apt to be at least undignifying, if not discouraging, and in order
to get used to the strange capers and eccentricities of an ordinarily
well-behaved snow shoe, it requires considerable patience and practice.
There is no telling where, in an unguarded moment, they will land
you, and they seem to take especial delight in stepping on each
other and turning their wearer upside down. The principal secret
of success (and one may as well know it at the start, as to learn
it at the expense of a pint of snow down his back) consists in
taking steps sufficiently long to bring the widest portion of the
stepping shoe beyond that of the other, keeping the feet rather
far apart and stepping pretty high. By observing these precautions,
and trusting in Providence, much embarrassment may be saved, and
an hour's effort will thoroughly tame the unruly appendages, which
at best do not permit of much grace or elegance of gait.

To the moose hunter snow-shoes are often an absolute necessity,
and trapping in many cases would be impossible without them. They
are thus brought fully within the scope of our volume, and we give
a few simple directions for their manufacture. Our illustration
gives the correct shape of the shoe. The framework should consist
of a strip of ash, hickory or some other elastic wood, bent into
the form indicated and wound around th