SNOW-SHOES are a kind of foot gear used by Indians and trappers in Canada for travelling over the frozen surface of snow. In the long North-American winters they are the sole means of locomotion when railways and roads are snowed up, as the frozen surface of snow is not sufficiently consistent to support the weight of the human body without artificial aid. The snow-shoer protects his feet by wearing moccasins of moose-skin. The framework of a snow-shoe consists of a long narrow piece of pliable hickory wood, placed edgeways and then bent round with an oval-shaped front, and is adorned on the sides with tufts of crimson wool. The ends taper gradually to the rear, where they are fastened firmly to each other. The total length is about 39 inches and the width from 13 to 16 inches. Across the oval, and fitted into the inside of the framework by mortices, are two battens of wood, 5 or 6 inches clear of both ends. Over the front one at an open space a deerskin thong is fastened, forming an aperture for the reception of the great toe. The thong is then crossed over the top of the foot, passed round and tied to the sides. This leaves the heel free to move up and down on the shoe and rests the weight of it on the toes. Over the remainder of the oval is stretched a network of tightly drawn strips of leather. At a convention held in Montreal on 30th December 1871 a rule was passed that a “pair of racing shoes, including strings, shall not weigh less than 1 ½ lb nor measure less than 10 inches of gut in width.” The motion of a snow-shoer in the distance is curious and resembles that of some ungainly web-footed animal. On using the implements the knees must be turned inwards and the fore part of the feet outwards to avoid wounding the ankles with the frameworks. At first the ...