ever will save by obviating the operation of rowing a boat round by the hand to direct her course. Again, the fittings which carry the rudder must, when the rudder is unshipped, hold a certain amount of water to the detriment of speed. Also, if a boat is pressed for a spurt, there must be some risk of the tiller of the rudder (however delicately made), and the wires which control it, pulling and drawing the water. When the canvas ducks under water on recovery, it is important that the water should run off freely when the boat springs to the stroke. If a post stands up at the stern, however thin and metallic, this nuust to some degree check the flow off of the water. Again, the feet must be moved to guide this rudder ; while they are thus shift- ing, the fullest power of the legs can hardly be applied. A sculler who is in good practice, and who is at home with his boat and sculls, should be able to feel his boat’s course through each stroke, and to adjust her at any one stroke if she has deviated during the preceding one, On the whole, barring cir- cumstances such as a stiff westerly wind at Henley, or 2 gate on the tideway course, scullers will do best without rudders ; and if a competitor desires to provide against the contingency of weather which will make a rudder advantageous, he had better, if he can, have a spare boat fitted for that purpose, so that if the water after all is smooth he will not be carrying any project- ing metal at his stern to draw the water and to check his pace.
‘There is another objection to the use of rudders, especially for young scullers. It tempts them to rely on the rudder to rec- tify their course, instead of studying even play of hands so that the boat may have no excuse for deviating at allin smooth water.
All that has been said of the use of slides applies equally to sculling as to rowing. ‘he leg action, as compared to swing, should be just the same when sculling as in rowing. That is, the slide should last as Jong as the swing. Now, in sculling, a man should go back much further than he does when rowing an oar. When he has an oar in his hand there is a limit to the distance to which he ean spring back with good effect. His oar describes an are ; when he has gone back beyond a certain
