Part I

our readers wish to fit their own, we will say a few words about them. The string should be not too thin, or it will not last long; in the selection of it, it is best to be guided by the size of the notch of your arrows. At one end of it a strong loop should be w^orked to go over the upper horn, the other end should be left free in order to be fixed on to the lower horn. When the lower end is fastened, the distance between it and the loop at the other end should be such, that when the loop is in its place (/.6., the bow strung) the string is, in a gentleman's bow, six inches, in a lady's, five inches, from the centre of the bow. Never trust a worn string; -- take it off and put on a new one should it break, it will most probably snap your bow. ARCHERY. The Belt and Pouch. This is used for carrying the supply of arrows required in a match (three for u^e and one spare one), as also for hanging the tassel, &c., We to. would, however, recommend our gentlemen friends to do -- without it it is always in the way, and the arrow can be carried far better in a pocket made diagonally in the right rear of the coat, so as to come conveniently to the hand, and yet be far enough back to es- cape the risk of the feathers being spoilt by the elbow rubbing against them. In our cut we have depicted a lady's belt. Grease-Box. This is a little box, generally made of ivor}^, of such a shape as to hang from the belt. It is used for the purpose of holding the grease, which some archers use to anoint the string and their shooting-glove with, so as to get abetter loose. The advantage of it is a matter of opinion, and so it may remain; if used too freely, however, it causes the bow-strine; to unravel. AKHERY. Tassel. This is merely a large tassel of green worsted, and is used for wiping the arrows when they have stuck in the ground. If a belt is not used, it should be hung from a button-hole of the coat; it is an absoiutely necessary part of the archer's outfit. ARM GUARD. Fig. 5. This is a guard for the left arm, to prevent its being abraded by the string when loosed ; it also has another object, viz., to confine the sleeve and keep it out of the way. It consists of an oblong piece of smooth leather, and is fastened to the arm by straps. In fitting it on, care should be taken that the ends of the straps are not left loose, and that the buckles come well round to the back of the arm, so as not to be in the way of the string; for if there be the least projection on which it can catch, your best aim will be of no effect. 10 ARCHERY. The Shooting- GrLOVE Is used to protect the fingers of the right hand from abrasion by the string when loosing, and consists of three finger-guards, attached by strips of leather, passing down the back of the hand to a strap fas- tening round the wrist. This form of glove has, however, rather gone out of use of late years, most archers preferring independent guards, called tips, for each finger, generally fastening by means of an India-rubber ring round the finger, about the best of this kind being those invented by Mr. Buchanan, of Piccadilly. In the mat- ter of the shooting-glove, however, it is best to leave the archer to choose for himself, merely cautioning him to make sure that, whether gloves or tips, they fit him well, or he will never be able to make a good loose . The cut represents a glove. Scoring-Cards. These are made of various shapes and sizes, to accommodate a sin- gle archer or to serve for a match. About the best for private use consists of a circular piece of cardboard colored like a target, divided into three segments for three distances, and having the oth-er side printed to receive the score when reckoned. These are carried in little ivory frames for the purpose, the whole being about the size A of a watch. small ivory pricker for marking is carried with it. Perhaps, however, for ordinary practice, nothing is better than a common metallic memorandum-book, ruled for the day of the month, and vertically for the rings. ARCHERY. 11 The Quiver. Fig. 4. The quiver is a tin case somewhat in the shape of the^quiver usually represented as forming part of the equipment of Robin Hood and his band; it is not now, however, used as part of the personal equipment of the archer, but is employed simply for the purpose of protecting the spare arrows. It is made of all sizes, to hold from six to three dozen arrows, Hnd is provided with a cover and lock to make all secure. The best receptacle for arrows, however, is the box which is now almost universally used; in it each arrow has a place to itself, and by this means overcrowding is prevented and the feathers preserved unrumpled. 12 ARCHEKY. Targets. Fig. 6. A targert is made of straw^ bound with string into an even fope,. which is twisted upon itself until it forms a flat disc, and then cov- ered on one side with canvas painted in five coneentrie rings, viz , gold or centre red, blue or inner white, black,, and white. These rings should be all of exactly the same widths the target itself being one to four feet in diameter. In scoring, the following value is given to the rings : .... Gold 9 Red 7 Blue 5 Black White 1 When an afroW strikes on the edge of two rings, the higher is? counted , unless it is otherwise agreed upon. It is necessary to have -- two targets, one at each extremity of the distance fixed upon as it is not usual to shoot more than three arrows at each " end," as it is called--walking over between each three to reclaim your arrows, and ARCHERY. 13 then sliooting them at the back target you have just left. By this means a different set of muscles are called into play, those used in shooting are relaxed, and, in addition, a great deal is added to the exercise which renders archery so healthy a pastime; for example, ill shooting the national round, the archer walks 3,920 yards, or nearly two miles and a quarter, between the ends. The stands for the targets are usually made of iron and wood, and somewhat resemble in shape an artist's easel. The legs should be padded or wrapped round with straw, otherwise arrows striiiing them will be apt to break. There has been, however, invented an iron stand for targets, so constructed that the legs present a very thin edge to the shooter, thus reducing the chance of their being struck by an arrow to the minimum. In some places butts are erected, instead of stands, for the targets: they are built of sods piled together, the larget being hung to a peg in the front of them. The target used differs from the ordinary one, and consists of a circular piece of white pasteboard, the size differing according to the length of range: e.g., at thirty yards it is four inches: sixty yards, eight inches; ninety yards, twelve inches in diameter, and soon, according to distance. Butts certainly abolish the trouble of stooping, as they catch all the arrows (except the very wide or high ones) which miss the target. The chief disadvantage of them is that after shootmg at a butt it takes some time to get used to the target on a stand, so that it spoils an archer for matches, etc. Another advantage of butts is this, that as the targets are merely made of cardboard, they can be easily manufactured at home. In all cases, whether butts or stands are employed, the centre of the gold should be four feet from the ground. Instructions for the Field. Having procured his outfit, the archer will doubtless be anxious to make a trial of it in the field, and we will now endeavor to dve 14 ARCHERY. him the clearest instructions for the management of his weapon, bjattention to which, and constant practice, we hope he will succeed to his utmost satisfaction. It will be useless for him to overburden -- himself with accessories more than are absolutely necessary they will only be in the way ; an archer who wishes to shoot well will find that the less he has about him the better. Besides his bow, he will take four arrows (three for use and one spare one in case of ac- cident), which he will put into his pouch or pocket, arm-guard^ A glove or tips, tassel, and scoring-card. spare string also it will be prudent to have in the pocket. Anything more than these is un- necessary in the field. -- Stringing the Bow. In stringing the bow it is held by the handle in the right hand (flat part towards the body) with the lower horn resting on the ground against the hollow of the right foot. The left hand is then placed upon the upper part of the bow in such a manner that the base of the thumb rests upon the flat side of it, the thumb punting upwards. The bow is then bent by the com- bined action of the two hands, the right pulling, the left pressing it; at the same time the loop of the string is slipped into its place by the left thumb and forefinger. However, actual experiment under the guidance of a proficient will teach them sooner and better than we can possibly hope to do by mere precept. When the bow is braced, the string should be exactly six inches from the centre of the bow in a gentleman's, and five inches and a half in a lady's bow. Care must be taken that the string lies evenly along the exact centre of the bow, that it is not turned on one side at either horn. If this be the case, it will, by pulling the bow unevenly, in all probability bieak it. ^ ARCHERY. 15 -- Position. It is difficult to determine exactly what is the besti^o- sition for the archer. Every one naturally subsides into that which is most easy to him ; still there are certain fundamental rules, which are given in almost every book on archery, by attention to which in the first place tne shooter ultimately falls into the best position for himself. The left foot should point rather to the right of the mark, the right foot being nearly at right angles to it, the heels six or eight inches apart, in a straight line from target to target, both feet flat on the ground, knees straight, body erect but not too stiff face turned towards the mark. The body must be carried as easily as possible on the hips, not too stiffly upright nor yet bending forward. Nothing looks worse than a stiff, constrained attitude, except a loose, slouching one. Our cut on back of last cover represents an archer taking aim.