Fig
2.-A GOOD SHAPE WHEN STRUNG. the flatter side of the bow or back should be smooth and even from end to end, and in a self-yew the line between the white and darker parts of the wood should be well defined and even.
The weight of the bow to be selected is an important point; it is a common thing to find archers "overbowed "-i.e. having a stronger bow than they can manage. The weight of bow that can be pulled is one thing, that which can be properly loosed is quite a different matter. It is a mistake to suppose that the stronger the bow the lower will be the trajectory; unless the bow is thoroughly under control, the reverse will be the case. Ladies are advised to begin with a bow of 24 or 25 lb. and men with 46 lb.
ARCHERY] The longest distance now shot is 100 yards; a properly loosed bow of 48 lb. will carry it well, and it is far better to be "under " than "over" bowed.
The weight being decided on, the back of the bow should be held upwards to see that it is straight, and that the two limbs are in the same plane. It should now be strung and the bend when drawn up carefully examined to see that the bow is rigid for about 20 inches in the centre, thence bending equally to each end (Fig. 2).
Arrows are made of deal, the best being "footed" with hard wood at the point or pile end, and these alone are to be recommended; for though good shooting can be done with a cheap bow, cheap arrows are in the long run the dearest, besides being unsatisfactory. Arrows are made of four different shapes: the "straight," which should be of the same size from end to end, but slightly reduced at the feathers; the "barrelled," which are largest in the centre, tapering both ways; the "bob-tailed," which are gradually reduced from the pile to the feathers, and the " chested," which is largest at about one-third of its length from the feather end, tapering thence towards both ends. This last arrow is only used for flight shooting, and it is the others which bespeak our attention. The straight arrow is the steadiest and stiffest, but it is not quite so fast as the barrelled, for which reason several good shots prefer the latter. The bob-tail is a weak, bad shape; it is not sufficiently strong to stand the blow it receives when leaving the bow, and consequently it "flirts" or flies off to the left. The straight arrow is the one recommended, but care must be taken that it really is straight, as many so-called straight arrows are bobtailed.
The feathers are made of two patterns, the straight (Fig. 3) and the parabolic (Fig. 4). They should not be too large, and should be placed as far back as possible, the former shape being perhaps the better. The wing of the peacock supplies the stiffest and most durable feather, turkey's coming next, the "grey goose wing," that poets write about, having lost its charm to the fletcher.
The flight of an arrow, supposing it to be properly shot, is affected by its weight and balance. The weight, which is marked at the nock end of the arrow, represents its equivalent in new silver; thus an arrow marked 3.3 weighs 3s. 3d., 4.6 4s. 6d., and so on. The balancing point is that part of the arrow on which it will balance on the finger. It will generally be found that all the arrows in a dozen are not precisely alike in these particulars, a variation of Id. or 2d. in weight not being unfrequent. The arrows should therefore be sorted into sets as nearly as possible alike in weight and balance, to be used at the same time. No doubt the difference in flight caused by the