3.—In taking aim, two points must be attended to, viz: the lateral direction and the distance, because there is no bow which will drive an arrow many yards perfectly point-blank, and, consequently, a slight elevation must in all cases be made, and for long distances, with weak bows, a very considerable one. It requires great experience to manage the elevation properly, and much must depend upon the exact strength of the bow, and the distance of the shot. With regard to the lateral direction, it is materially affected by the wind, and this must always be allowed for if there is any stirring; and if it is in the line of the targets, one end will require much less elevation than the other.
4.—Fix the eyes on the mark, and not on the arrow. Avoid all such expedients as putting a mark on the glove to aim by. Do not look from the mark to the arrow and back again. The proper plan is to keep both eyes open, and look steadily at the mark, while with the hands the bow is raised or lowered in accordance with what the mind thinks is the proper direction.
5.—If an arrow falls off the string, and the archer can reach it with his bow, it is not shot: but if he cannot, it must be counted as such.
TARGET-SHOOTING.
The Targets are fixed exactly opposite each other, at 60 yards or perhaps more apart. The stands, when properly placed, are each called "an end." The proper number of arrows, as fixed by the rules, are then shot from each end by all the party assembled, when all proceed to pick up or extract their arrows, the marker scoring for each before drawing them from the target, after which the party shoot back again to the other end, and so on until the whole number of ends have been shot.
BUTT-SHOOTING.
Butts are built of long sods of turf pressed together. The form of the base is an oblong square, being about 8 or 9 feet on the front side, and 5 feet wide at the ends. The height is generally about 7 feet, and the depth diminishes gradually from the bottom to the top. When more than two are wanted they are ranged in sets; each set consists of four, ranged at the distance of 30 yards apart, and forming a chain of lengths of 30, 60, 90, and 120 yards; but so disposed as not to stand in the way of the archers when shooting at any of the lengths. Against the front of the butt is placed the mark, which is a circular piece of thin white pasteboard, fastened by a peg through the middle. The size of this, for 30 yards, is four inches in diameter; for 60 yards, 8 inches; and so on increasing in diameter in proportion to the distance. Shots in the butt missing the mark are not scored; and he who makes the greatest number of hits is the winner. If two are alike, the nearest to the central peg is the successful one.