snowshoe

A light frame made of bent wood and interlacing thongs, used to give the wearer a broader base of support when walking on snow. The tread of the shoe is formed of strips of raw hide, hard-twisted twine, or, among the Indians, of deer-sinews. In use, the toe is placed beneath the strap and the foot rests on the thongs; as the heel Ornith.: Montifringilla nival is; called also the rises in walking, the snow-shoe is not raised, but as Stone-finch. snow-flake, 8. I. Ord. Lang.: A small feathery flake or particle of falling snow. "Restore me the rocks, where the snow - flake reposes." Byron: Lachin-y-Gair. II. Technically : 1. Bot .: The genus Leucojum (q. v.), and spec., Leucojum æstivum . Prior says that the English name was given by W. Curtis to distinguish it from the Snowdrop. 2. Ornith.: The Snow-bunting (q. v.). Called also Snow-fleck. "Seen against a dark hill-side, or a lowering sky, a flock of these birds presents an exceedingly beautiful appearance, and it may then be seen how aptly the term snow- flake has been applied to the species." - Yarrell: Brit . Birds (ed. 4th), ii. 7. snow-fleck, 8. [SNOW-FLAKE, 3.]