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THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND 
 MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID 
 
PLAIN DIRECTIONS 
 
 FOR ACQUIRING THE ART OF 
 
 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 WITH USEFUL HINTS CONCERNING ALL THAT RELATES 
 
 TO GUNS AND SHOOTING, AND PARTICULARLY 
 
 IN REGARD TO THE ART OF 
 
 LOADING SO AS TO KILL. 
 
 TO WHICH HAS BEEN ADDED SEVERAL VALUABLE AND 
 
 HITHERTO SECRET RECIPES, OF GREA T PRACTICAL 
 
 IMPORTANCE TO THE SPORTSMAN. 
 
 BY 
 
 AN OLD GAMEKEEPER. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 THE INDUSTRIAL PUBLICATION COMPANY, 
 176 BROADWAY. 
 
 1873- 
 
Copyright Secured. 
 

 PREFACE. 
 
 THE fact that he who would preserve "a sound mind in a 
 healthy body " must devote some time to the sports of the field, 
 has now become very generally recognized: so much so, indeed, 
 that "muscular Christianity" now commands the respect of the 
 community; and boating, skating, riding, fishing, and shooting 
 are no longer regarded as the occupations of those alone who 
 are unable or unwilling to engage in what some are pleased to 
 term more useful employments. It is not many years since the 
 general feeling in this country was so opposed to the practice 
 of shooting, except perhaps by boys or pioneers, that for a busi- 
 ness man to be seen with a gun in his hand and a pointer at his 
 heels, was to be ostracised by all so-called respectable persons. 
 Fortunately, that day has gone by. Very many of our most 
 estimable citizens, and not a few of our most able and worthy 
 divines, enjoy the gun and the rod with a zest that proves that 
 the highest civilization is not incompatible with the enjoyment 
 of field sports. Such a state of things has long prevailed among 
 our cousins on the other side of the water, where the gentleman 
 that is unable to ride across country or bring down his partridge 
 or pheasant as it tops the stubble or the copse, is looked upon 
 with a feeling akin to pity. Sir Walter Scott, whose knowledge 
 of human nature has been seldom equalled and never surpassed, 
 tells us that in his day most English gentlemen of less than 
 twenty years old, would feel an imputation on their horseman- 
 ship more keenly than they would one on their moral character j 
 and few men, who were familiar with the state of society in 
 Scott's day, will doubt the assertion. As a consequence of this 
 feeling, every young lad whose circumstances warranted it, was 
 taught to hunt, shoot, and fish, as regularly as he was taught to 
 read and write. Nor was this part of his education left to such 
 chance instruction as he could pick up among his companions, 
 as is unfortunately the case with us. Instruction in horseman* 
 
IV PREFACE. 
 
 ship was obtained regularly, either from a riding-master or from 
 the groom, and part of the duties of every gamekeeper- consisted 
 in teaching the rising generation how to shoot. As a conse- 
 quence, the young gentlemen of Great Britain not only became 
 familiar with these things from their boyhood, but they learned 
 them in such a thorough and scientific manner that they not 
 only acquired great skill but passed through this period of their 
 curriculum without serious danger to themselves or others. In 
 this country we have no gamekeepers, and few grooms j and our 
 young men are, in almost every instance, self-taught so far as all 
 that relates to the use of the gun is concerned. More than this, 
 the most dangerous and foolish course is in general pursued 
 toward the lad who shows an inclination to use the gun, par- 
 ticularly if his guardian be not himself a sportsman. When a 
 boy first asks permission to use a gun, it will be found that most 
 old women (whether they wear petticoats or not) forbid the use 
 of what they consider such a dangerous weapon, but are willing 
 that he should have a pistol, which is a far more dangerous 
 plaything, both for the boy himself and for those who are about 
 him. The long barrel of a gun is not readily pointed either in 
 the direction of ourselves or others, without our knowing it; 
 while the shorter pistol frequently comes into dangerous range 
 either of the person who holds it or of others, without being 
 immediately perceived. Moreover, a boy in such circumstances 
 receives no proper instruction in the handling, loading, carrying, 
 and discharging of a gun, when by his own stealth or the care- 
 lessness of his guardians he comes into possession of one. Those 
 rules which, from long habit, have become second nature to aK 
 good sportsmen, are unknown to him, and of course unacted 
 upon. He carries his gun with the hammers on the caps, and 
 with the muzzle pointing downward or horizontally toward 
 every point of the compass. He pokes the muzzle through any 
 fence he may have to cross, gets through or over himself as best 
 he can, and then drags the gun after him, frequently receiving 
 the contents of one of the barrels while so doing. In short, his 
 gun, instead of being an instrument of honest recreation, becomes 
 the source of stolen sprees, and is sooner or later a cause of 
 serious accident. Sensible guardians ought^to abandon all this. 
 If a young man shows an inclination for the sports of the field, 
 let them see that he is provided with a safe and efficient weapon, 
 and carefully instructed in its use. Youth must have recreation 
 and it is better for a young man that he should devote his day* 
 to the green fields than his nights to the green table. 
 
PREFACE. V 
 
 When field sports are recommended to *he sedentary for ex- 
 ercise, we often hear ultra utilitarians inquire why wood-sawing, 
 digging, and other useful employments, are not quite as good a 
 means of exercise as shooting, fishing, riding, etc. The answer 
 is obvious enough, though perhaps not always appreciated by 
 the narrow-minded ignorance that characterizes the group to 
 which such persons belong. Physiologists know well enough 
 that the evils which arise from sedentary employments are 
 caused in a great measure by the unequal strain that is placed 
 on one set of powers. The mind is kept in a state of high 
 tension, while the physical man is allowed to relax to the utmost. 
 Now, if we would remedy this state of things, it is evident that 
 the mind must be relieved by being diverted from the subjects 
 that have previously engrossed it. This can not be done by 
 such purely mechanical operations as digging, sawrng, etc. If a 
 mathematician should resort to digging for exercise, the chances 
 are ten to one that while his hands and feet were engaged in 
 physical exercise, his brain would be intensely occupied with 
 problems in the higher calculus. If, however, he should take 
 a gun, and wander through the woods and fields in search of 
 game, his attention would be constantly occupied, and the 
 strain upon his nervous system would be relieved. 
 
 Shooting is an art that any active young man with good eyes 
 and nimble fingers may soon learn, provided he sets the right 
 way to work. Of course, if instruction can be obtained from 
 some experienced and intelligent sportsman, it will be better 
 than any amount of reading. It unfortunately happens, how- 
 ever, that many very excellent shots are utterly unable to give 
 the tyro anything like proper instruction 5 they can kill their 
 own birds, but they can not instruct their young friends how to 
 do it. Beside this, many young men who own guns and are 
 extremely fond of using them, have no one who is competent 
 to instruct them. They therefore confine themselves to sitting 
 shots, or easy flights j they hunt squirrels, shoot pigeons off the 
 tree, single ducks off the water, and are even guilty of stalking 
 the covey of partridge and pouring in the death-dealing shower 
 when the poor birds are huddled together. Such gunners never 
 feel the joy which thrills through the nerves of every sportsman 
 as he brings down the strong-winged mallard as he clears the 
 rushes, or stops the woodcock as with ringing flight he darts 
 through the copse, or tumbles over the wild pigeon in its most 
 rapid flight, or cuts down the sharp-flying quail as he rises on 
 whirring wing, or the snipe as he turns and dodges. Merely to 
 
Vi PREFACE. 
 
 kill birds is the work of the butcher 5 with the sportsman, killing 
 may be the end of his work, but that from which the chief joy 
 arises is the skillful and successful search, in which reason is 
 pitted against instinct, and then the deft and scientific shot 
 which illustrates at once our skill and our knowledge. To show 
 the young sportsman how to obtain the skill that will enable 
 him to bring down his game cleverly and cleanly, after he has 
 found it skillfully, is the chief object of the writer. We have, 
 therefore, confined ourselves strictly to the art of shooting, and 
 have not attempted to give directions for finding game, breaking 
 dogs, or retrieving. Perhaps, if the present attempt should re- 
 ceive the favor of the young devotees of the gun, we may, in a 
 future volume of similar size, condense the most important points 
 relating to these matters. 
 
 When compared with many of the larger and more expensive 
 works now before the public, it may seem that the present 
 volume is rather a small one ; but we believe that it contains 
 nearly everything of any consequence that relates to the practice 
 of the art. Most of the books on sporting are made large in 
 order that the authors and publishers may reap a greater profit, 
 and to this end the bulk is increased by endless discussions in 
 regard to the history of sporting, from the days of Nimrod 
 down. They can not tell us how to choose our powder without 
 giving an account of Schwartz, Bacon, and others, to which is 
 generally added a disquisition on the composition and mode of 
 inanufacture of powder, all which is better adapted to the use 
 of the superintendent of a powder-mill than of a sportsman. 
 By leaving out all this irrelevant matter, we have saved a great 
 deal of room. 
 
 Within the last ten years breech-loaders have been brought 
 to such a degree of perfection that they promise to supersede 
 entirely the old muzzle-loader. Although we own several 
 first-class muzzle-loaders we seldom use them, preferring the 
 breech-loader altogether. This makes little difference, however, 
 so far as the young sportsman is concerned: the same rules 
 that apply to the one apply to the other, and he who can suc- 
 cessfully use a muzzle-loader will find no difficulty in managing 
 a breech-loader. 
 
 Tuft ALDERS, March, 1873. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 How TO CHOOSE THE GUN 9 
 
 Weight. Gauge. Length of Barrels. Materials 
 and Finish of the Gun. Freeing, and Close Shoot- 
 ing. Engraving and Browning. Shape of the 
 Barrels. The Stock. The Triggers. Nipples 
 and Vents. 
 
 BREECH-LOADERS AND MUZZLE-LOADERS 24 
 
 AMMUNITION, ACCOUTREMENTS, AND IMPLEMENTS. . .27 
 Powder. Shot. Caps. Wads. Powder-Flask. 
 Shot-Pouch. Cap-Chargers. Gun-Cases and 
 their Accompaniments. 
 
 How TO LOAD THE GUN 36 
 
 How TO CLEAN THE GUN 50 
 
 How TO CARRY AND HANDLE THE GUN. . . . .56 
 
 How TO LEARN TO SHOOT 59 
 
 FINISHING TOUCHES. 70 
 
 USEFUL HINTS . . . . 75 
 
 RECIPES AND MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS 78 
 
THE ART OF 
 
 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 HOW TO CHOOSE THE GUN. 
 
 WHETHER we select a high-priced or a low-priced gun, a 
 muzzle-loader or a breech-loader, there are certain points 
 which must not by any means be ignored if we would 
 achieve decided success in its use. It is true that some 
 men seem to be able to shoot with any kind of a weapon, 
 whether it be an old flint-lock musket, a heavy ducking 
 gun, or an awkward, top-heavy, pot-metal piece. But if 
 the reader finds that he can bring down his game with any 
 kind of a gun, then this little book is not intended for his 
 use. Many men, however, find it as difficult to shoot with 
 a gun that does not suit them as to walk with a pair of 
 ill-fitted boots; and unless the young sportsman has a 
 wonderful genius for the art, he will find it absolutely 
 necessary to provide himself with a gun that is adapted to 
 his own bodily conformation as accurately as the coat that 
 he wears. Some of the most skillful gun-makers even go 
 so far as to say that every gun ought to be made specially 
 for the person who is to use it, and they actually measure 
 their customers just as a tailor measures those for whom 
 he makes coats. We think, however, that this is hardly 
 necessary, and that a very good fit may in general be 
 
10 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 obtained out of the stock of any of our respectable gun- 
 makers. The points which require most careful attention 
 are the following : 
 
 Weight. Most young sportsmen are apt to overload 
 themselves, and to procure a gun that is by far too heavy 
 for the man that is to carry it. No greater mistake can be 
 committed, for nothing is so apt to destroy one's ability 
 to shoot well as the fatigue arising from being fagged out 
 by carrying a fowling-piece that is too heavy for the strength 
 of the bearer. It is true that a heavy gun will shoot 
 stronger and carry a heavier charge than a light one, and 
 by so much as it does so by so much are our chances for 
 bagging game increased, provided we are able to handle the 
 heavy gun efficiently. But if we watch ourselves or our- 
 companions toward the close of a hard day's shooting, we 
 will find that the heavy gun is brought up slowly, and that 
 the game flies several yards farther before being shot at, 
 than is the case with a light gun. Now the great secret 
 of success in shooting on the wing, at fair distances, lies 
 in firing before our birds have got under full headway. 
 Not only is the distance shortened in this way, but the 
 bird presents an easier mark. The partridge or grouse, 
 when he first rises from the ground, hangs in the air, 
 making a great show of feathers and flapping, it is true, 
 but still moving with comparatively great slowness ; and 
 if we can throw our gun to the shoulder, cover our object, 
 and fire during these preliminary movements, the game 
 is pretty certain to come to bag. But should the slowness 
 of our movements delay the act of firing for a single 
 second, the case becomes very different. A vigorous grouse 
 in full flight moves at the rate of nearly one mile a minute,* 
 
 * Wild ducks have been found to fly ninety miles per hour, or a mile and a 
 half per minute, by actual measurement. 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. \\ 
 
 or thirty yards per second. During a single beat of our 
 pulse he will have put an additional twenty yards between 
 himself and the gun, and this may be enough to overtax 
 the heaviest and hardest-shooting weapon. Therefore, let 
 the young sportsman select a gun that is under rather than 
 over weight, and endeavor to make up for its deficiencies 
 by the greater rapidity and expertness with which it is 
 handled. 
 
 We would not by this, however, have the tyro suppose 
 that all game must be fired at the moment it is on the 
 wing. To adopt such a system, and practice it continually, 
 would be to ruin more than half the birds shot at ; but 
 the ability to use the gun in this way is essential to the 
 character of a good shot, and if we are, on occasion, pre- 
 vented from so doing by the weight of the gun, it shows 
 that the weapon is too heavy. 
 
 Fortunately, however, the sportsman that selects a light 
 gun does not make a sacrifice which is anything like in 
 proportion to the diminution of weight. The hardest- 
 shooting and most effective gun that we ever owned 
 weighed only six and a half pounds, and number twelve 
 gauge at that. And one of our friends was so thoroughly 
 convinced of the trifling advantage that is secured by great 
 weight that he fitted up a large horse-pistol with a skeleton 
 stock, and with this little weapon, which weighs less than 
 three pounds, he kills most of his woodcock. The barrel, 
 however, is of very superior material, and has been care- 
 fully bored, so that it does wonderful execution. Its 
 owner at one time expressed a willingness to accept a 
 challenge from any gun, provided he was allowed two 
 yards for every pound that the competing gun exceeds his 
 pistol. 
 
 It has been thoroughly ascertained that while the weight 
 
12 SffOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 of the charge which may be used is directly as the weight 
 of the gun from which it is fired, the efficiency of any 
 charge does not at all increase in the simple ratio of its 
 weight. Mathematicians tell us that the efficiency of a 
 charge is nearly as the square root of its weight. For 
 example, a charge of four ounces of shot would not do 
 equal execution four times as far as a charge of one ounce, 
 but only about twice as far, while it could be projected 
 with efficiency only from a gun of four times the weight 
 of the small gun. Now one ounce of shot can be fired 
 very well from a gun of four and a half to five pounds 
 weight, while four ounces would require a gun of from 
 sixteen to twenty pounds ; and while the small gun will 
 kill at thirty-five to forty yards, the large gun can not be 
 expected to accomplish much at a distance of more than 
 eighty yards. While, therefore, there is certainly some 
 advantage to be derived from the use of heavy guns, this 
 advantage never can overbalance the greater inconvenience 
 which attends the greater weight. In the above example 
 we have taken two extreme cases a more than ordinarily 
 light gun and a more than usually heavy one. But the 
 principle holds quite as well in regard to guns of common 
 size. Taking two guns, one of eight pounds and one of 
 ten pounds, it is very obvious that the ten-pound gun will 
 tire out a man of common strength more than twice as 
 rapidly as will the gun of eight pounds. But the ten- pound 
 gun will carry a charge which is only one fourth greater 
 than that carried by the eight-pound gun, and the efficiency 
 of these two charges will be as 2.82 to 3.16. That is to 
 say, if the eight-pound gun can kill at forty yards the ten- 
 pound one will kill equally well at forty-five. It is very 
 evident, however, that this gain of five yards is no com- 
 pensation for the extra fatigue incurred. Our own opinion 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 13 
 
 is that from six to nine pounds is the proper weight for a 
 fowling-piece for ordinary game. Very few men can handle 
 a heavier weapon than one of nine pounds, while the 
 weakest can cany one of six. Our favorite weight is seven 
 and a half pounds. A gun of this weight can be carried 
 all day and thrown to the shoulder at night with rapidity 
 and precision, and it will do good work on either snipe 
 or duck at any distance under forty to forty-five yards. 
 
 Gauge. Fifty years ago small bores and long barrels 
 were all the rage. Barrels three feet, and even forty inches, 
 long, and having bores as small as number twenty-two, 
 were in common use. A few years later it was found that 
 wider bores did much better execution, and at length the 
 diameter was increased and the length diminished until a 
 fashionable gun was about nine or ten bore and twenty- 
 four to twenty-six inches long in the barrels. It was soon 
 found, however, that these very wide bores, unless com- 
 bined with proportionate weight and length, did not shoot 
 strongly, and a reaction set in, after which the majority 
 of the guns that were made were of sixteen and fourteen 
 gauge, very good gauges, but we think a trifle too small. 
 In selecting a gauge for shot-gun barrels, we meet with 
 difficulties in both directions: moderately large shot does 
 not chamber well in a very small bore, and when powder 
 is exploded in a large bore, the pressure on the shot is 
 not great enough unless we use very heavy charges of 
 powder, in which case the gun is apt to recoil. After many 
 years' experience with guns of every gauge, we have come 
 to the conclusion that for all ordinary shooting number 
 twelve is about the best gauge that can be employed. 
 Frank Forrester preferred number fourteen, and it must 
 be confessed that in the smaller gauge the same weight of 
 powder will produce a greater pressure per square inch 
 
14 
 
 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 on the charge of shot, and consequently a greater propelling 
 power. But, on the other hand, the same weight of shot 
 presents a less depth in the larger bore, and consequently 
 opposes less resistance per square inch. In addition to 
 this, there is probably less friction on the sides. 
 
 Those who desire to examine this subject more closely 
 will find the annexed table, which gives the size in inches 
 of the various numbers, very convenient : 
 
 TABLE GIVING THE SIZES OF THE VARIOUS GAUGES. 
 
 Number of 
 Gauge. 
 I. 
 
 Diameter of Bore, 
 in inches. 
 . 1.669 
 
 Number of 
 Gauge. 
 
 I Q. 
 
 Diameter of Bore, 
 in inches. 
 . . . 626 
 
 2. 
 
 . r. 32s 
 
 2O. 
 
 .615 
 
 2. 
 
 . I. 157 
 
 21. 
 
 .60^ 
 
 4. 
 
 , I.O52 
 
 22. 
 
 . sq6 
 
 5- 
 
 Q?6 
 
 23. 
 
 s87 
 
 6. . 
 
 . UIQ 
 
 24. 
 
 O ^ I 
 ^70 
 
 7- 
 
 873 
 
 25. 
 
 . ^71 
 
 8. . . 
 
 .835 
 
 26. . 
 
 563 
 
 o. 
 
 .803 
 
 27. 
 
 .556 
 
 IO. 
 
 77> 
 
 28. . 
 
 r rn 
 
 II. 
 
 .751 
 
 20. 
 
 . 3 ^ 
 ^43 
 
 12. 
 
 .72Q 
 
 3O. 
 
 ' JT- J 
 
 ^37 
 
 IS- - 
 14. 
 
 . . .710 
 .603 
 
 31- - 
 32. 
 
 O 3 1 
 
 -531 
 
 ^26 
 
 1 ^. 
 
 6?7 
 
 33. 
 
 C2O 
 
 1 6. . . 
 
 . . 662 
 
 > 0* 
 24. 
 
 . 3 4<u 
 c T r 
 
 17. . . 
 1 8. . . 
 
 .650 
 . . .637 
 
 35- 
 36- . 
 
 j x J 
 . . .510 
 .506 
 
 The values here given of the different numbers are those 
 adopted by the British proof-houses. We may add that 
 the number of the gauge was originally designed to express 
 the number of balls to the pound, when the size fitted the 
 gun. Thus a ball, of which sixteen weigh one pound, 
 will fit tightly a gun of sixteen gauge. 
 
SHOOTING ON THE W 'ING. 15 
 
 On the whole, we consider that the claims of the different 
 gauges between eleven and fourteen are pretty evenly bal- 
 anced. If a gun suited us well otherwise, we would not 
 reject it on account of the size of the bore, provided it 
 came within these limits. Gauges larger than number ten 
 are fit for duck -guns only. 
 
 Length of Barrels. Long barrels, whether for shot- 
 guns or rifles, are now pretty much abandoned. Barrels 
 three and four feet long were not uncommon a few years 
 ago, but many of them have been cut down to thirty 
 inches, or even twenty-eight or twenty-six inches, with de- 
 cided improvement to their shooting. A few years ago we 
 came into possession of a gun, number eighteen bore and 
 forty inches in length of barrel. It shot well, but it was 
 almost impossible to kill game on the wing with it. We 
 therefore subjected it to a series of experiments, cutting it 
 off two inches at a time, and testing its shooting at every 
 stage. In closeness there was n.o falling off at all, and 
 the penetration seemed to be nearly as great, though we 
 thought we could occasionally perceive a slight difference, 
 perhaps due to the diminution in the weight of the gun. 
 When we reached twenty-six inches, however, we had the 
 barrels carefully bored over, and polished on the inside 
 as smoothly as possible. Up to this time we had used a 
 very coarse powder, finding that with the forty-inch barrels 
 it did the best work. Now, however, we began to use a 
 powder that had a somewhat finer gram, and the result of 
 all these improvements was that our little twenty-six inch 
 gun, seventeen gauge (increased one size by boring) shot 
 more closely and strongly than it did before it was short- 
 ened, while as to convenience in handling there was no 
 comparison. The gun is now quite light (seven pounds), 
 short and handy, and for snipe and woodcock it answers 
 
IQ SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 very well, and is a favorite with most persons. We keep 
 it for the accommodation of such sporting friends as may 
 happen to visit us without bringing their guns, but for our 
 own use we prefer a gun that carries a heavier charge, as 
 in shooting at woodcock in dense brush we are often 
 obliged to fire where we think the bird is, rather than 
 where we know he is, and in that case a gun that sends 
 a heavy load over a large space possesses great advan- 
 tages. 
 
 Such being the general principles which ought to govern 
 us in the adjustment of the most important individual 
 features of the gun, it is not difficult to determine what 
 the entire combination should be in order to adapt it to 
 the use of the sportsman. A large and powerful man, 
 capable of using a gun of nine pounds in weight, should 
 select one of not less than eleven or ten bore and thirty-one 
 or thirty-two inches length of barrel. Such a gun, if pro- 
 perly handled, will do killing work at any distance under 
 fifty yards, for three and a half to four drams of powder 
 and one and three-eighths to one and five-eighths ounces 
 of shot, may be discharged from it without producing any 
 sensible recoil. We have now in mind a gun of this 
 kind, number ten bore and thirty-one inch barrels, which, 
 for hard hitting and close shooting, is certainly unequalled 
 by any lighter piece of which we have any knowledge, 
 and as the owner is abundantly able to handle it, it would 
 be folly for him to choose a less effective weapon. On 
 the other hand, a man of feeble physique, who is easily 
 tired, would do well to content himself with the very lightest 
 gun that is capable of making a fair bag, and this we con- 
 ceive to be about six pounds weight, fourteen to sixteen 
 gauge, and twenty-seven to twenty-eight inches length of 
 barrel. A gun of these dimensions is capable of doing 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 17 
 
 fair work at thirty-five to forty yards, and if care and good 
 judgment be used in loading it, it will beat many guns of 
 far greater weight and length. For anything under seven 
 pounds, Frank Forrester recommends a single-barrel gun, 
 but we can hardly agree with him. A double-barrel, such 
 as we have just described, is by no means a mere plaything 
 or popgun ; and although it can not, of course, do the 
 execution that longer and heavier guns are capable of, yet 
 it is quite effective for the majority of shots at game which, 
 as is well known, seldom exceed twenty-five yards. The 
 only weapon that will compare with such a double-barreled 
 gun as we have just described is a single-barrel breech- 
 loader, and of this class of guns a very excellent model 
 has been recently brought into market. It is light, handy, 
 of moderate price, and excellent materials and workman- 
 ship. It can be loaded so rapidly that for many kinds of 
 shooting it is quite as efficient as a double-barreled muzzle- 
 loader, and for some purposes, as for wild-fowl shooting 
 where the birds are flying in great numbers, it is greatly 
 more efficient. 
 
 Between these extreme sizes, however, is found the most 
 useful and pleasant gun for men of average strength, and 
 this we believe to be seven to se^en and a half pounds in 
 weight, number twelve gauge, and twenty-eight inches 
 length of barrel. This is the size of our own gun, and 
 several of our friends have, after careful examination, pro- 
 cured guns like it, and in no instance that we know of 
 have guns of this size, whether breech-loaders or muzzle- 
 loaders, failed to give satisfaction, if well made. With ours 
 we can bring down a duck with tolerable certainty at forty 
 to forty-five yards ; and, when properly loaded, it makes 
 sure work of snipe, woodcock, quail, and grouse, at all 
 ordinary distances. 
 
18 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 For long shots at ducks and sea-fowl, a heavier gun is 
 absolutely necessary. We feel confident, however, that 
 long range is to be attained more by increasing the size of 
 the shot than by increasing the quantity of powder used 
 to propel it ; and this being the case, we recommend and 
 use a gun of such large bore that a double barrel is im- 
 practicable. We have adopted one of number five gauge, 
 forty-four inches length of barrel, and fourteen pounds 
 weight, and we find it a killing weapon at single birds at 
 eighty to ninety yards. Those who desire to use larger 
 and heavier guns must take lessons from Col. Hawker, 
 whose work on shooting is the standard authority in regard 
 to all guns over sixteen pounds in weight. 
 
 Materials and Finish of the Gun. Unless the 
 sportsman is thoroughly familiar with the materials and 
 process of manufacture of firearms, all directions based 
 upon a description of the raw material are useless ; and 
 if he be thoroughly familiar with the subject, such direc- 
 tions are superfluous. It is only by the results attained in 
 the completed weapon that a correct judgment can be 
 formed by any one who is not a professional guncnaker, 
 and a few hours spent in examining guns in the shop of 
 a respectable dealer or maker, will do more to enable the 
 novice to determine whether a gun is laminated steel, stub 
 and twist, or plain iron, than weeks spent in studying 
 books. Upon one thing the purchaser may rely, however : 
 a really good gun can not be obtained for a trifle. He 
 who would purchase a first-class gun must pay a first-class 
 price; and when, as is frequently done, a new gun is 
 offered for anything less than fifty dollars, and is claimed 
 to be first-class, it will be well for the intending purchaser 
 to remember that even the raw material of such a gun is 
 worth more than the price asked for the finished article. 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 19 
 
 Guns are sold at all prices, and of all qualities. The 
 New York wholesale market is flooded with double-barrel 
 guns of the most worthless character, which are sold for 
 from five to ten dollars each, and are known as pot-metal 
 guns. It needs but a glance to detect their character, and 
 yet these cheap guns are frequently bought by country 
 gunsmiths, who overhaul them a little, polish the interior 
 of the barrels, especially toward the muzzle, smooth off and 
 perhaps case-harden the locks, and then offer them to 
 country gunners at prices varying from fifteen to twenty-five 
 dollars. Let no man who values his life ever procure one 
 of these miserable abortions. That no one would know- 
 ingly do so we feel confident, but when furbished up and 
 recommended by a gunsmith as a good cheap gun, the 
 verdant shooter is liable to be misled into buying one. 
 They may be easily detected by a certain profusion of 
 varnish on the barrels as well as on the stock ; by the 
 rough manner in which the various parts are fitted toge- 
 ther, and especially by the fitting of the locks and by the 
 coarse and grating movement of the latter. For, after all, 
 the best and safest index to the quality of a gun is to be 
 found in the locks ; if these work with a certain oily smooth- 
 ness, which is indescribable but easily recognized, the entire 
 gun may be safely pronounced of good quality. The 
 young sportsman will do well then to examine carefully 
 some really good gun : observe the smoothness with which 
 the hammer glides back under the pressure of the thumb; 
 the force with which the hammer is pressed against the 
 nipples a force nearly as great as that exerted when the 
 hammer is at full cock ; notice the sharp and clear click 
 with which the sear springs to its place ; and watch the 
 lightning-like sharpness with which the hammers are 
 driven down to the nipples. One who has handled a 
 
20 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 really good gun and observed these points, can hardly be 
 deceived in regard to the quality of the locks, and this, as 
 we before observed, is a sure index to the quality of the 
 entire piece. 
 
 The interior of the barrels should be very smoothly 
 finished. This we regard as a very important point, though 
 it is one that is but too often neglected in all but the very 
 highest-priced guns. The object of this high finish is to 
 lessen the friction, and, as a consequence, to increase the 
 force and closeness of the shot. The force is increased 
 from two causes-: less resistance is offered to the passage 
 of the shot, and on this account we can use more powder 
 without causing the gun to scatter too much. The close- 
 ness is increased, because, since the forward layers of shot 
 move along the barrel easily, they do not receive as much 
 pressure from the rear layers, and neither layers are so apt 
 to be bruised and distorted. In addition to all this, smooth 
 barrels keep clean longer, and are more easily cleaned 
 when the work is done. It is this feature that confers upon 
 laminated steel barrels one of their most valuable qualities. 
 A good steel barrel is not easily corroded, it does not foul 
 readily, and its strength is unquestionably greater than 
 that of barrels made of other materials. In the days of 
 Frank Forrester steel barrels were regarded with a good 
 deal of suspicion, but at the present day they occupy, and 
 justly we think, the very first rank. 
 
 Freeing. To increase the closeness with which the 
 gun throws its shot, it is usual for gunsmiths to enlarge the 
 diameter of the barrels for about one third of their length 
 next the muzzle. This is technically called freeing, and 
 all good guns are fixed in this way. Too much freeing, 
 however, is as bad as too little. Any approach to what is 
 known as a "bell-mouth" will cause the gun to scatter. 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 21 
 
 Engraving and Browning. It is hardly necessary 
 to caution the reader against a gun that is profusely orna- 
 mented (?) with cheap and coarse engraving. Such work 
 merely increases the expense without adding to the value, 
 and as it forms a first-rate nucleus for dirt and rust, which 
 will in time destroy or greatly injure the \veapon, it should 
 be carefully avoided. At the same time, do not neglect 
 to assure yourself that the barrels are well browned. 
 Besides adding greatly to the appearance of the gun, good 
 browning is a wonderful preventive of rust. It requires a 
 skilled workman to brown a gun well, however good may 
 be the recipe that he may use. For the convenience of 
 such of our readers as may desire to experiment upon this 
 subject themselves, we give some very excellent recipes at 
 the end of the volume. 
 
 Shape of the Barrels. One of the greatest faults 
 that can exist in any gun is to be top-heavy. Such a gun 
 comes up slowly to the mark, and is very fatiguing in the 
 field. One reason why cheap guns are always top-heavy, 
 is that the material of which they are made is of poor 
 quality, and consequently the manufacturers dare not make 
 them thin toward the muzzle. With good stub and twist 
 or laminated steel, the barrels may be made almost as thin 
 as paper toward the muzzle, and yet be perfectly safe. 
 But all barrels ought to be heavy at the breech, as in this 
 way the gun not only balances better but is rendered much 
 more capable of withstanding heavy charges. This feature 
 has been carried out more fully during the last few years 
 than ever before, but that it is not a new idea, the following 
 extract from the writings of Edward Davies, who flourished 
 about the beginning of the seventeenth century (1619) 
 will show :-- 
 
 "He that loves the safetie of his own person, and de- 
 
22 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 lighteth in the goodness and beautie of a piece, let him 
 always make choice of one that is double-breeched ; and, 
 if possible, a Mylan piece, for they be of tough and per- 
 fect temper, light, square and bigge of breech, and very 
 strong where the powder doth lie, and where the violent 
 force of the fire doth consist, and notwithstanding thinne 
 at the end. Our Englishe pieces approach very neare unto 
 them in beautie and goodness (their heaviness only ex- 
 cepted), so that they be made of purpose, and not one of 
 those common sale pieces with round barrels, whereunto a 
 beaten souldier will have great respect, and choose rather 
 to pay double money for a good piece, than to spare his 
 money and endanger himself." 
 
 The Stock. The stocks of almost all sporting guns 
 are made of black walnut, which is now generally finished 
 in oil, a style which is greatly to be preferred to varnish, 
 as being less liable to be scratched and marred. The 
 shape and length of the stock will exercise an important 
 influence on the ease with which the shooter will handle 
 his weapon, and these features must, as we have elsewhere 
 noted, be accurately adjusted to the length of the shooter's 
 arm and neck. 
 
 The Triggers. We have seen many guns, otherwise 
 of excellent quality, rendered almost unusable, owing 
 to the great force necessary to pull the trigger. A trigger 
 that pulls too easily is dangerous ; one that pulls too hard 
 deranges the aim, and is fatal to quick shooting. Fortu- 
 nately, the gunsmith can easily regulate this point. See 
 therefore that the triggers pull with a degree of force that 
 is adapted to your personal requirements, and also see 
 that both triggers are made to go alike. 
 
 Nipples and Vents. The rapidity and certainty 
 with which the gun is discharged depends very much upon 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 23 
 
 the shape and material of the nipple or cone. Greener 
 makes the following very judicious remarks upon this 
 point : ' ' The nipples now in general use have the smaller 
 orifice at the bottom, and, being lined with platina, never 
 foul. Experience has shown that admitting the gunpowder 
 into the nipple is not advantageous, especially with large- 
 grained powder ; by constructing the nipple with the small 
 orifice at the bottom, the largest grain can be used bene- 
 ficially. As the velocity of the fulminating gas is much 
 greater than *a train' of gunpowder ever can be, quick- 
 ness is also gained by their adoption. I have used them 
 for many years with great success ; nothing but cost deters 
 their general adoption." 
 
 When the percussion was first substituted for the old 
 flint-lock, it was found that it was not as pleasant a shoot- 
 ing weapon as the older form. Under the mistaken idea 
 that it would lessen the recoil, a vent was made in the 
 barrel, just like the vent of a flint-lock gun, but smaller. 
 It was then supposed that the percussion had been made 
 so nearly like the flint-lock that it could not fail to equal 
 it Now, while it is certain that the vent does not lessen 
 the recoil, it is equally certain that it greatly increases the 
 certainty and rapidity of the ignition of the charge, and it 
 does it in this way : The great obstacle to the entrance of 
 the fire from the percussion cap is the air contained in the 
 gun, among the grains of powder. Under ordinary cir- 
 cumstances, you might as well try to fill a bottle with 
 water without letting out the air, as to force the flame of a 
 percussion cap into an air-tight barrel. The vent, however, 
 allows a small portion of the air to escape ; this permits 
 the entrance and diffusion of the flame from the cap, and 
 the charge becomes thoroughly ignited. 
 
24 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 BREECH-LOADERS AND MUZZLE-LOADERS. 
 
 A decade has scarcely passed since breech-loaders of 
 every description were condemned in toto by all gunsmiths 
 and sportsmen of reputation and experience. Now, how- 
 ever, the tide has turned in their favor : the best makers 
 have undertaken the manufacture of this class of guns, and 
 it is safe to predict that ere another decade has -passed 
 away, muzzle-loaders will be things of the past. Looking 
 back, even from our present standpoint, it is amusing to 
 note the positiveness with which all the best writers de- 
 clared against the breech-loader. Frank Forrester, for 
 example, alluding to Stonehenge's description of the 
 Lefaucheux gun, pours out the bitterest ridicule against 
 ail breech-loaders, and especially against this one. He 
 regards it as inefficient in practice, and worthless if it were 
 efficient. He finds fault with it because it has no nipples, 
 and because special cartridges are required, and concludes 
 that an active man could charge a muzzle-loader, with 
 flask and shot-pouch, as quickly as the breech-loader 
 could be charged with its cartridges. All this seems very 
 ridiculous to us now, and yet Herbert (Frank Forrester) 
 was a man of good judgment in the matter of guns. 
 
 Nor did Herbert stand alone in this matter. Greener, 
 in his work entitled "Gunnery in 1858," devoted a whole 
 chapter to the abuse of the breech-loader. J ust hear how 
 he rails at them, especially because the invention originated in 
 France : "The French system of breech-loading firearms 
 is a specious pretence, the supposed advantages of which 
 have been loudly boasted of; but none of these advantages 
 have as yet been established by its most strenuous advo- 
 cates. How it is that the British sportsman has become 
 
SHOOTING ON THE W 'ING. 25 
 
 the dupe of certain men who set themselves up for respec- 
 table gun-makers, I know not. With regard to the safety 
 of these guns they display an utter want of the most ordi- 
 nary judgment, "etc., etc. Again : "There is no possibility 
 of a breech-loader ever shooting equal to a well-constructed 
 muzzle-loader ; secondly, the gun is unsafe, and becomes 
 more and more unsafe from the first time it is used ; and, 
 thirdly, it is a very costly affair, both as regards the gun 
 and ammunition. Nor are these negative qualities at all 
 compensated for by any of the advantages claimed for these 
 guns by their advocates." Further on he says: "It is 
 said, and said truly, that a breech-loader can be charged 
 more rapidly than a muzzle-loader ; but I hold this to be 
 no advantage, for this reason all guns can be loaded 
 more quickly than they are fired, and the tendency of all 
 guns to absorb heat, puts a limit to rapidity of firing. 
 There are few plans, or presumed improvements, which 
 nave not some redeeming points; but in the case of 
 breech-loading firearms, it is quite a task to find even a 
 resemblance to one. No fear need be entertained that the 
 use of* breech-loaders will become general." This was 
 written in 1858; now (1873) Mr. Greener, or at least his 
 son, manufactures a very excellent double-barrel breech- 
 loading shot-gun. 
 
 The advantages of the breech-loader are very great and 
 important. First of all, it can be loaded in one tenth of 
 the time that a muzzle-loader can be charged, and this, 
 where wild fowl are flying thickly and for but a short time, 
 as toward evening, is a very important matter. Moreover, 
 if the sportsman should chance to be out in search of one 
 kind of game and should happen to find game of a different 
 kind, the charge can be changed in a twinkling. Thus, 
 if out shooting ducks, and a flock of geese should come 
 
26 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 in sight, the charge can be changed before they come into 
 shooting distance. We have often, when in pursuit of 
 ducks, had our dogs come to a point on snipe, in which 
 case it did not occupy a longer time to change the load, 
 walk up the bird and bag him, than would have been 
 required to simply draw a charge from a muzzle-loader. 
 I It is said that the breech-loader is safer than its compe- 
 , titor, and probably it is, though either of them are safe 
 enough in the hands of a careful man, and no gun is safe 
 when used by the ignorant or reckless. But it is in the 
 matter of cleaning that the breech-loader possesses a de- 
 cided advantage over the muzzle-loader. After an ordinary 
 day's shooting the latter requires a good hour's hard labor 
 before it can be pronounced fit to be laid aside, while the 
 breech-loader can easily be cleaned in ten minutes, and 
 the labor is comparatively easy. 
 
 In the early days of the breech-loader, it did not shoot 
 either as strongly or as closely as the muzzle-loader. This 
 was to be anticipated. It could not be expected that a 
 new gun. just invented and barely brought into working 
 shape, should compete with a form upon which 'the best 
 talent of a century had been expended. There were per- 
 haps two hundred breech-loaders in existence, and these 
 were pitted against a few guns picked out of two hundred 
 thousand, by the best makers. Even as far back as the 
 days of "The Field" trial, in 1859, the breech-loader was 
 ahead of all second-rate muzzle-loaders; and when we say 
 second-rate, we refer to the bulk of all the highest-priced 
 guns in use. To-day the breech-loader is neck-and-neck 
 with the muzzle-loader. That it will ever beat the older 
 f orm we very much doubt. That breech-loading rifles 
 excel muzzle-loaders is well known, and it is easy to see 
 why they do so. But we can not see any reason why 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 27 
 
 either breech-loading or muzzle-loading shot-guns should 
 excel, and we therefore believe that so far as shooting 
 qualities are concerned, they will prove equal. Thus faj, 
 the breech-loader seems to demand more powder than the 
 muzzle-loader. This, however, is not a serious objection. 
 Most persons believe that it arises from the fact that th'e 
 muzzle-loader has a better-shaped chamber than the 
 breech-loader, and we confess to a suspicion that this idea 
 is not altogether unfounded. Stonehenge says, that, after 
 careful trials he could not find that breeching made any 
 difference. Greener claims very earnestly that a properly 
 formed breech adds largely to the shooting powers of a 
 gun. From experiments which we ourselves have made 
 by forming a temporary breech in a steel cartridge, we feel 
 convinced that the application of a well-formed breech will 
 add greatly to the shooting power of a gun. To adapt 
 proper chambers to our cartridges, however, would make 
 them altogether too heavy, and we must therefore ' rest 
 content for the present to increase the quantity of powder 
 by a small -percentage. 
 
 We consider that it would be premature, in these days 
 of rapid improvement, to recommend any particular 
 breech-loader above others. We therefore refer our 
 readers to the advertisements which may be found in most 
 journals that go into the hands of lovers of the gun. 
 The address of one or two reliable makers will be found 
 appended to the present volume. 
 
 AMMUNITION, ACCOUTREMENTS, AND IMPLE- 
 MENTS. 
 
 Good ammunition and accoutrements are as essential to 
 safety and good shooting as is a good gun. Bad powder 
 will destroy the shooting of the best fowling-piece, and a 
 
28 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 poor powder-flask is almost as dangerous as worthless 
 locks or imperfect barrels. A few hints on the selection 
 of these articles will therefore prove of value to the 
 novice. 
 
 Powder. With the history of the discovery of gun- 
 powder and its chemical composition, the sportsman has 
 little to do, while whatever enables him to select a reall) 
 good article, and to preserve it after he has got it, is of the 
 utmost importance. There are a few rules to be observed 
 in the selection of powder, though, after all, the only sure 
 way is to try it in the gun, and when we find a really good 
 article, lay in a supply sufficient for the season. Good 
 powder should be hard in the grain, and made from 
 materials that have been not only thoroughly mixed but 
 powerfully compressed after being made into cake. Poor 
 powder, when rubbed in the hand, soils the skin, not 
 because it is dirty but because it is easily abraded, or 
 rubbed into dust. Such powder never preserves its grain 
 well, and when a charge of it is kept in a gun or in a car- 
 tridge, it is apt to cake and hang fire. Moreover, powder 
 of such loose texture is peculiarly liable to receive injury 
 from dampness or moisture. When the materials have not 
 been well mixed and by this is meant a somewhat more 
 thorough operation than merely stirring them together like 
 so much porridge the particles of sulphur and charcoal 
 do not readily find their appropriate particles of nitre, and 
 some of the nitre and some of the charcoal and sulphur 
 remain uncombined after the explosion. In addition to 
 this, unless the incorporating process has been very thor- 
 oughly performed, the proportions of these different ingre- 
 dients, which may have been precisely accurate in the 
 charge that was thrown into the mill, may not be just right 
 in each individual grain; and, in this case, the powder 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 29 
 
 will leave a large residuum. Again, if the powder be 
 exposed to dampness, the nitre is apt to crystallize and 
 separate from the charcoal and sulphur, and the powder 
 not only shoots weakly but fouls the gun badly. A guide 
 to the quality of powder may be found in these tests: 
 i. Rub it in the palm of the hand, and if it soils the skin 
 to any considerable extent, or if the grain breaks down, 
 reject it. We have on hand some large-grained ducking- 
 powder, of American manufacture, of which the grains 
 are so hard that they can not be broken up except 
 with great difficulty; and this powder not only shoots 
 strongly, but leaves the gun in good condition. 2. Fire 
 a regular charge of powder and shot at several sheets of 
 paper, just as if you were trying the quality of the gun, and 
 observe the force with which it throws the charge. Re- 
 member, however, that in comparing powder of different 
 sizes of grain, you must be careful to use equal weights. 
 A given measure filled with large-grained powder will not 
 contain as much as the same measure filled with powder 
 of fine grain. After half a dozen shots have been fired, 
 examine the gun and see if it be very foul. Examine also 
 the character of the residuum. Some powder leaves a dry 
 residuum that is very destructive to the gun on firing the 
 subsequent charges. This is especially the case as regards 
 breech-loaders. The gun, if a muzzle-loader, after stand- 
 ing uncharged, should be moist instead of dry. The 
 residuum from some powder is so soft and lubricous that 
 it does not interfere at all with shooting. 3. Observe the 
 recoil. The total recoil is probably always the same in the 
 same gun when the shot is thrown with equal force. But 
 the pressure opposed by the shoulder being a constant 
 quantity of about ten pounds, it makes a great difference 
 whether a recoil of seventy pounds is imparted in the 
 
30 SHOOTING ON THE WINfr 
 
 i-5OOth or the i-2OOth of a second. In the first place, a 
 severe contusion might be the result, while in the latter 
 the recoil might be quite endurable. Other things being 
 equal, a slow-shooting powder gives more force and less 
 perceptible recoil than a quick-shooting article; and, as 
 the coarse-grained powder is always, cateris paribus, slower 
 than the fine grain, those who require to use heavy charges 
 always employ coarse-grained powder. 
 
 As few persons care to keep more than a flaskful of 
 powder in the house, it is a matter of importance that 
 proper means should be taken to keep the main supplies 
 in good condition, even though deposited in a barn or 
 out-house. Bottles, well dried and warmed, may be filled 
 with powder, well corked, and sealed with a mixture of 
 equal parts of lard and resin. This mixture is so soft and 
 adhesive that it may be applied to the bottle without the 
 use of a greater heat than can be obtained from boiling 
 water. The best plan is to dry the bottles carefully, warm 
 them thoroughly, and then fill them with the powder at a 
 distance from any fire. Cork them tightly, and dip the 
 corked necks in the composition we have described, which 
 may be kept hot in a small tin pan. Nearly as good results 
 may be obtained by the use of the ordinary tin canisters, 
 which are closed with a screw cap. A greased leather 
 washer must, however, be placed between the cap and the 
 shoulder of the hole or neck. The object of all this is to 
 make the vessel perfectly air-tight. If it be not air-tight, 
 then, as the contained air expands and contracts, it will be 
 expelled and drawn in, and will infallibly draw in moisture 
 with it. 
 
 Shot. The time was when all shot was home-made, 
 and consisted of sheet-lead cut up into little cubes by 
 means of a knife. Those who have read the sporting 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING, 3l 
 
 literature of the last century must remember the discussion 
 which ensued between the advocates of the patent drop-shot 
 and the old form. Now, however, all the shot that is 
 used is drop-shot. Good shot is perfectly round, and of 
 great evenness in the grain. It should be very smooth, 
 and well polished with a very thin coating of black lead 
 or plumbago. This is called the "patent finish," though 
 we do not know that there is any patent about it, as it has 
 been employed in England for years to polish not only 
 shot but powder. Quite a discussion is at present going 
 on in the advertising columns of the sporting papers in 
 regard to this finish, some advocating it strongly while 
 others condemn it as worse than useless, declaring that it 
 fouls the gun and creates friction. We observe, however, 
 that some of those who condemn Hack had advocate the 
 use of plumbago, which is precisely the same thing under 
 a different name. It is, therefore, well that the reader 
 should be informed as to the true character of this material, 
 and its action when used for polishing shot. 
 
 Plumbago, graphite, or black lead, is a peculiar form 
 of carbon. It does not contain one atom of lead, and can 
 not possibly lead the barrels, as we ordinarily understand 
 leading. It is perfectly non-corrodible, and when applied 
 to shot it protects it perfectly from the action of the air, so 
 that while uncoated shot soon becomes covered with a film 
 of white oxide, the polished article resists the action of 
 corrosive vapors so long as the coating of plumbago re- 
 mains mechanically perfect. In addition to these qualities, 
 it is the best anti-friction agent known; and if the interior 
 of our barrels could only be kept well covered with black 
 lead, pot-metal guns would shoot nearly as well as those 
 made of fine steel. We have used it, mixed with a little 
 oil, to lubricate shot-cartridges in a muzzle-loader, and 
 
32 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 found a decided advantage in its use, the recoil being 
 lessened and the force increased ; but it is so confoundedly 
 dirty that no gentleman could employ it in this way. It 
 might be of service, however, in large punt-guns. So 
 efficient are its anti-friction qualities that immense quan- 
 tities of it are sold by the American Graphite Company, 
 of New York, for lubricating purposes ; and we are told 
 by engineers and others who have tried it, that it is superior 
 to anything in the market. 
 
 These facts being duly weighed, we conclude that a per- 
 fect coating of black lead, graphite, or plumbago, is of 
 advantage to shot, and that there are no disadvantages 
 attending its use. 
 
 In the chapter on loading we have given full directions 
 for the different sizes of shot to be used. Let the sports- 
 man, therefore, decide what are the sizes best adapted to 
 his gun, and lay in a stock of these kinds, and these only. 
 Three or at most four sizes are in general all that are 
 required; so that we would select from Nos. i, 2, and 3, 
 that with which, after careful trial, we could do the best 
 work, at sixty yards, on ducks and grouse; the best of 
 Nos. 4, 5, and 6, for grouse and duck at forty yards; the 
 best of Nos. 7, 8, and 9, for woodcock and quail ; and 
 of 9, 10, and n, for woodcock and snipe. If No. 9 suits 
 the gun well, it may be used for woodcock, quail, and 
 snipe, to the exclusion of the others, though when quail 
 are very wild they require a heavier shot than No. 9. In 
 some guns No. 9 shoots close enough for snipe. Above 
 all, avoid mixed shot. Half an ounce of No. 10 and half 
 an ounce of No. 4 mixed together, are no better than half 
 an ounce of No. 4 against duck, and very little better than 
 half an ounce of No. 10 at snipe. With one ounce of 
 No. 7, which would contain about the same number of 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 33 
 
 pellets, the sportsman would stand a much better chance 
 of bringing down either a snipe or a mallard. Almost all 
 shot sold at retail in the stores gets mixed. Lounging 
 boobies come in, pick up a handful, look at it with the 
 wisdom of owls, and pour it back into the wrong box. 
 We therefore always buy our shot in sacks, as it comes 
 direct from the factory. In this way we are certain of 
 getting it pure. A twenty-five pound sack is not a very 
 heavy investment, but to meet the wants of those who do 
 not care to buy such large quantities, Messrs. Tatham put 
 up shot in five-pound bags, which are very handy. We 
 generally keep on hand a twenty-five pound bag each of 
 Nos. 3, 5, and 9, and find that they answer all our require- 
 ments. The following tables give the sizes of English and 
 American shot : 
 
 SIZES OF ENGLISH SHOT (wALKER/s). 
 
 MOULD 
 
 LG . . 
 M G . . 
 
 S G 
 
 SHOT Pellets to 
 U L ' an ounce. 
 
 . . . 5i 
 
 .(hardly) 9 
 . 1 1 
 
 i .... 
 
 Pellets to 
 an ounce. 
 . . 82 
 
 2 .... 
 
 . 112 
 
 ^ 
 
 . 135 
 
 S.S.G. . 
 
 S S S G . 
 
 PATENT 
 
 AA . . 
 A . . . 
 
 ... 15 . 
 ... 17 
 
 DROP- SHOT. 
 
 . . . 40 
 . so 
 
 4 .... 
 
 . . 177 
 
 . . 218 
 
 6 .... 
 
 . . 280 
 
 7 . 
 
 . 341 
 
 8 .... 
 9 .... 
 10 . . . . 
 
 . . 6OO 
 
 . . 9^4 
 . .1725 
 
 B B . . 
 B . . . 
 
 ... 58 
 - 75 
 
 It must be borne in mind that the number of pellets to 
 the ounce is seldom constant. The screens wear away and 
 allow larger and larger pellets to pass through, so that just 
 before they are renewed the number of pellets to the ounce 
 frequently varies considerably from what is regarded as the 
 standard in new screens, though this variation hardly ever 
 
34 SHOOTING ON THE 
 
 amounts to enough to affect our practice. We believe that 
 there is no fixed standard among our American manufac- 
 turers, a circumstance which is to be greatly deplored. 
 In the following table we give the sizes as determined by 
 ourselves, from very careful weighing of shot procured 
 direct from the manufacturer: 
 
 TATHAM'S PATENT FINISH SHOT. 
 
 Number of pellets in one ounce of 
 
 Buc 
 
 ( 
 f 
 t 
 
 T1 
 
 T 
 BB 
 BB 
 B 
 
 k, coo . 
 oo . 
 o . 
 I . 
 
 2 . 
 
 3 
 B '. '. ! 
 
 5i 
 
 7 
 . 8 
 . ii 
 . 14 
 
 . 21 
 
 2 7 
 30 
 
 37 
 5i 
 
 - 63 
 
 N 
 
 ( 
 ( 
 
 t 
 
 < 
 t 
 t 
 < 
 t 
 
 3. I. 
 
 . 76 
 
 2. 
 
 go 
 
 3. ... 
 
 4- . . . 
 
 5* . 
 6. . . . 
 
 7. ... 
 8. ... 
 o. 
 
 . I 12 
 
 . 146 
 
 . 189 
 
 . 246 
 
 333 
 
 . 424 
 . cj. i 
 
 10. . . 
 
 II. 
 
 12. 
 
 . 642 
 . 767 
 . 907 
 
 Caps. Good caps should explode sharply and cer- 
 tainly, and ignite the powder easily; they should not fly 
 to pieces, or corrode the gun. Thin G. D. caps are dan- 
 gerous to the eyes, and even though there be no danger 
 in ordinary shooting, yet if the sportsman should try to 
 make a perpendicular shot he runs great risk of having 
 his eyes injured. Heavy caps alone should be used ; and 
 very excellent ones are now made in this country. Three 
 fourths of all the English caps in market are made in 
 Connecticut; and it is cheaper and better to get the genuine 
 American article than to buy something of the same kind 
 with a false label on it We use the caps made by the 
 Waterbury Flask and Cap Company, and find them 
 excellent. 
 
SHOOTING ON THE W 'ING. 35 
 
 There are two kinds of explosive matter used for caps : 
 one is fulminate of mercury, and the other is a mixture 
 of chlorate of potash, sulphur, and sulphuret of antimony. 
 The fulminate of mercury is not at all corrosive, while 
 chlorate of potash gives rise to very destructive gases. It 
 is easy to tell whether a cap is charged with one or the 
 other, by exploding a cheap cap and one of Eley's best 
 over a spirit-lamp in a dark room, and comparing the 
 colors of the flames. The chlorate gives rise to a flame 
 of a color very different from the mixture of fulminate of 
 mercury and gunpowder, which is used in the best caps. 
 
 Wads. No sportsman will use anything but good 
 wads over his powder and shot. Paper, tow, etc., are 
 dangerous and ineffective. The same charge of powder 
 and shot when covered with good wads will kill one third 
 farther than when held in place by means of paper; there- 
 fore the sportsman can not be too careful in the selection 
 of this article. As a general rule, we use Eley's best. 
 They are somewhat expensive, but they carry the shot well 
 and clean the gun thoroughly. 
 
 Leather, old hats, pasteboard, and the like, have all 
 been recommended, but we dislike them all. Pasteboard 
 is the least objectionable; and, if the reader should be 
 driven to cut his own wads, he will do well to use it. 
 
 Some time ago we made a very extensive series of ex- 
 periments on the effects of different wads. The wads 
 which worked best were some that we made ourselves out 
 of very hard and thick pasteboard, covered on the upper 
 side and over the edges with soft felt hat, attached by sew- 
 ing, and lubricated with oil and plumbago. These, when 
 used over the powder, carried the shot very hard and close, 
 but they were altogether too troublesome to make, and too 
 dirty to use. 
 
36 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 Powder-Flask. This should be made of stout metal, 
 struck up in two pieces, which are joined together along 
 the middle. The spring should be free and sharp, and 
 the fittings of the cut-off so accurate that neither powder 
 nor flame can pass through. For a really good flask the 
 purchaser must pay a good price. Cheap flasks are dan- 
 gerous, and should be carefully avoided. Excellent flasks 
 can now be obtained of American manufacture. 
 1 Shot-Pouch. This has entirely displaced the old 
 shot-belt Two kinds of pouch are now in market. The 
 first, of which we have seen none but those made by Dixon, 
 of Sheffield, cuts off the charge from the body of the shot 
 by a turn of the_ charger; the other, which is now made 
 extensively in this country, operates by means of two slides 
 or gates, the rear one opening when the charge falls into 
 the measure, and closing when it is about to be poured 
 into the gun. We prefer the former kind, as being the 
 most accurate, but either kind works well. 
 
 Cap- Chargers are a convenient mode of carrying 
 caps, and answer very well in cold weather, when one's 
 fingers are numb, but we never use them. 
 
 Every gun should be provided with nipple-wrench, 
 screw-driver, spring-cramp for the locks, oil-can, and 
 probes, wiping-rods, etc. These are best kept in a case, 
 very excellent ones being sold for about ten dollars. When 
 a gun is kept in a neat case, and carefully cleaned before 
 being put away, it will last three times as long as if kept 
 lying about; and if the sportsman should wish at any time 
 to dispose of it, it will sell for nearly twice as much. 
 
 HOW TO LOAD THE GUN. 
 
 Under this head we have to consider not only the best 
 quantities and proportions of powder and shot, but the 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 37 
 
 proper mode of inserting the charge in the gun. If the 
 weapon be a breech-loader, full directions in regard to 
 the latter point will be given by the manufacturer; but 
 where a muzzle-loader is used, there is a certain routine 
 to be observed, both for the sake of securing rapidity and 
 certainty, and of avoiding danger. 
 
 Both barrels of the gun being unloaded, the following 
 is the system that we always follow: Grasping the barrels 
 with the left hand a few inches below the muzzle, the 
 hammers being at half-cock and the gun in such a posi- 
 tion directly in front that the trigger-guard is toward the 
 person, we measure out the proper quantity of powder for 
 a load, and pour it into each barrel in succession ; and, 
 after returning the flask to the pocket, insert a cut wad in 
 each barrel, draw the ramrod, and press it gently to the 
 bottom. For doing this, Frank Forrester gives some very 
 excellent advice, as follows : ' ' Remember not to grasp the 
 rod, much less cover the tip of it with the palm of your 
 hand, in ramming down, but to hold it only between the 
 tips of your fingers and thumb. In case of an explosion, 
 this difference in the mode of holding it will just make 
 the difference of lacerated finger-tips or a hand blown to 
 shreds." 
 
 The rod may now be held in the same hand that sup- 
 ports the barrels, while the shot is carefully measured and 
 poured into them; wads are again inserted and pressed 
 home, and the ramrod returned to its proper place. All 
 that now remains is to cap the piece, and see that the 
 hammers are at half-cock. 
 
 If these directions be minutely followed, no danger can 
 possibly be incurred, and the piece will be certain to go 
 off if the weapon and the ammunition are of good quality; 
 but, lest the reader should overlook any essential point; 
 
88 SHOOTING Otf THE WING. 
 
 we will venture a few remarks upon some of the steps de- 
 scribed. 
 
 Frank Forrester and many other authorities distinctly 
 tell us that, during the process of loading, the hammers 
 should lie down upon the nipples, and that if the piece 
 have been recently fired, the old caps should not be re- 
 moved until after the powder and shot are in place. We 
 acknowledge that where the sportsman is in a great hurry 
 a little time is saved by leaving the removal of the old caps 
 to the same operation as the placing of the new ones. But 
 if time can be spared, it is always best to leave the nipples 
 open, for this simple reason the ramming home of the 
 wad creates an outward current of air through the nipples, 
 and this current carries the powder well into the tubes, so 
 that a miss-fire is almost impossible. When the hammer 
 rests on the tubes, the latter are hermetically sealed, and 
 the air which fills them resists the entrance of the powder, 
 and a miss-fire is sometimes liable to occur. Nor does 
 the bringing of the hammers to half-cock involve the loss 
 of so much time as would at first appear. The operation 
 is performed during the lowering of the piece from the 
 shoulder; and if the entire process of loading is made 
 a matter of habit, as it ought to be, there will be very 
 little time lost. Moreover, the sportsman ought, by all 
 means, to acquire a regular system, and stick to it. He 
 will then follow out, as it were by instinct, his regular 
 habits during periods of excitement and hurry, and will 
 not make those mistakes which, in the hands of the ner- 
 vous and inexperienced, render the best firearm little better 
 than a broomstick. Those who have never accustomed 
 themselves to one set round, are apt, when a time for haste 
 comes, to pour all their shot into one barrel and all their 
 powder into the other; to break their ramrod, omit a wad 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING, 39 
 
 between the powder and the shot or over the shot, and a 
 dozen other blunders, any one of which is enough to spoil 
 their sport during the remainder of the day. An old hand, 
 on the contrary, loads by instinct : with one eye on the 
 game and the other on his gun, he marks down his birds 
 or watches a grizzly with equal coolness, while powder, 
 wad, shot, and wad, follow each other with the regularity 
 of clockwork and the rapidity of legerdemain ; so that ere 
 the novice has his first charge of powder measured out, the 
 weapon of the old sportsman is at his shoulder and dis- 
 charged. All the result of rule, system, and habit. 
 
 In forcing down a wad on the powder, do it with a 
 moderate degree of slowness, as, if the wad be forced down 
 with very great rapidity, the air maybe compressed to such 
 a degree as to ignite the charge. 
 
 Always see that the barrels maintain such a position 
 that if they should be accidentally discharged the contents 
 will fly past and not through you. 
 
 When but one barrel is to be loaded (the other barrel 
 being still charged), it is well to drop the ramrod into the 
 undischarged barrel, in order to make sure that the shock 
 of the explosion has not disturbed the charge in it. 
 
 And if, while doing so, a pellet of shot should roll down 
 the wrong barrel and wedge the ramrod so that you can 
 not get it out, do not tug and strain in the hope of ex- 
 tracting the ramrod by main force. By so doing, you 
 will, in all probability, break it, if you do not cause a 
 more serious accident. If you have not already done so, 
 place a wad over the shot that you have just poured in, so 
 as to make sure that it does not fall out ; raise the ramrod 
 gently, and while it is in this position, invert the barrels, 
 placing them with the muzzle downward. Then, with the 
 tip of your finger, press the ramrod upward, and the shot 
 
40 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 will drop out of itself, after which the ramrod is, of course, 
 easily withdrawn. 
 
 Having thus disposed of the manner of loading, we now 
 proceed to consider the question, What constitutes the best 
 charge for a gun ? 
 
 Upon this subject the most diverse directions are to be 
 found. One writer tells us to beware of over-loading, and 
 advises one and a half drams of powder and one ounce of 
 shot as the best charge; another recommends four drams 
 of powder and one and a half ounces of shot. Frank 
 Forrester gives three and a half drams of powder and one 
 and a half ounces of shot as the proper charge for a gun 
 of number fourteen gauge, thirty-one inch barrels, and 
 eight pounds weight. Greener tells us that a fourteen 
 gauge gun should never be loaded with more than one 
 and a quarter ounces of shot, and that one ounce is amply 
 sufficient for a fifteen gauge gun, the amount of powder 
 used being as great as can be conveniently burned. At 
 "The Field "gun trial, two and three quarter drams of 
 powder and one and a quarter ounces of shot was the 
 charge used in muzzle-loaders of seven pounds weight, 
 twelve gauge, and thirty-inch barrels. Breech-loaders 
 were allowed an extra quarter dram of powder. 
 
 Our own opinion is that for every gun there is a certain 
 size of shot and weight of charge with which it will do 
 most effectual execution, and we also believe that every 
 gun is best adapted to a special grain and quantity of 
 powder; and that if, by careful experiment, the sportsman 
 will find out just what these quantities and qualities are, 
 he will very soon distance all competitors. To determine 
 all these points, and the best combination of them, is not, 
 however, as easy a matter as might at first be supposed. 
 For, if we find, by experiment, that with a certain charge 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 41 
 
 of powder and weight and size of shot, a gun does good 
 work, we may, by altering either the weight or the size of 
 shot, find that a different grained powder will answer 
 better; and perhaps the new combination will give better 
 results than any that we have previously tried. Moreover, 
 in shooting different varieties of game under different con- 
 ditions, different charges must be used. The heavy 
 charges and large-grained shot used for duck-shooting, 
 would be obviously unsuited to woodcock and snipe. 
 Fortunately, however, the latter kind of game does not 
 demand the hardest and closest shooting ; and therefore 
 we may adapt our charges to the special purpose we have 
 in view, without seeking to attain the very greatest close- 
 ness and force. But if we go in pursuit of ducks or 
 grouse, we will find that our gun will be taxed to the 
 utmost as regards its hard-hitting and close-shooting 
 powers ; and therefore it will stand us in good stead to 
 find out precisely the weight and size of shot that can be 
 most efficiently used to cover a space of say thirty inches 
 in diameter at forty yards. To begin our experiments, we 
 must take some size of shot as a standard, and for this we 
 prefer No. 5, as a gun may be loaded with it so as to 
 bring down either a mallard or a woodcock. Beginning 
 then with one and a quarter ounces of No. 5, let us try 
 this weight of shot with various proportions of powder, 
 beginning say with two drams and ending with as heavy 
 a charge as the gun will bear. It is probable that as we 
 increase the charge of powder the shot will be driven 
 harder, but without any very great increase of dispersion 
 at first. Very soon, however, the shot will begin to scatter, 
 and when this feature becomes too prominent, it shows 
 that we have gone beyond the right point. Before de- 
 creasing the amount of powder, however, let us take 
 
42 SHOOTING ON THE ITIN&. 
 
 away some of the shot, trying successively one and one 
 eighth, and one ounce, and noting the results. If a dimi- 
 nution in the quantity of shot, without a diminution in 
 the charge of powder, brings us back to the best shooting 
 of the gun, it shows that one and a quarter ounces is too 
 much ; and for our future experiments one ounce or one 
 and one eighth ounces will answer better as the standard 
 weight of shot. In this way it is easy to find out the best 
 proportions of powder, and No. 5 shot and this gives us a 
 starting point from which we may determine the influence 
 of variations in the quantity and quality of the two elements 
 of the charge. With the standard charge of powder try 
 various weights of Nos. 6 and 4, and if it be found that 
 either of these sizes suit the gun better than No. 5, let it 
 be adopted by all means. Having in this way determined 
 the best size of shot and the proper quantity for a charge, 
 let us now proceed to determine the kind of powder that 
 is best adapted to the particular gun in use. Some authori- 
 ties intimate that the grain of the powder is determined by 
 the length and calibre of the barrels. It is evident, how- 
 ever, that the character of the breech, and of the channel 
 by which the cap communicates fire to the charge, has a 
 great deal to do with it. Do not, therefore, rely upon 
 deductions based upon general principles, but determine 
 each point by actual experiment. Taking the size and 
 charge of shot that is found to suit best, try it with various 
 quantities of powder of different degrees of fineness. Select 
 that which is found to answer best, and with this charge 
 again test the accuracy of your previous conclusions in 
 regard to the best weight and size of shot. 
 
 The object of all this laborious investigation is to find 
 out the charge with which a circle thirty inches in diameter 
 can be covered most evenly and struck most forcibly by 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 43 
 
 any one of the several sizes Nos. 4, 5, and 6. It is not a 
 matter of much consequence which, as any one of them 
 will give a good account of duck or grouse at forty yards. 
 Having determined this point, "make a note on't," and 
 use the charge thus indicated whenever you have to put 
 forth your best efforts. Nor will you deem the labor too 
 great when you reflect that imperfect performance on the 
 part of the gun renders useless the best skill in finding the 
 game and aiming the piece. 
 
 In our own gun, which is twelve gauge and twenty-eight 
 inch barrels, protracted experiment has led us to adopt 
 one and a quarter ounces of No. 5 shot, propelled by 
 three drams of very coarse-grained powder. This charge 
 may not suit other guns of even the same calibre, length, 
 and weight, as smoothness, freeing, opening, etc., all 
 influence the result somewhat. But we feel convinced that 
 when a man tells us that the great secret of successful 
 shooting lies in using one and a half drams of powder and 
 seven eighths of an ounce of shot in a gun of fourteen 
 gauge or larger, we feel convinced that his experience must 
 have been obtained by shooting at very tame birds. With 
 this amount of powder, of any kind in the New Yo'rk mar- 
 ket, it would be utterly impossible to bring down either a 
 mallard, a quail, or an October woodcock, at forty yards. 
 And when we find authors like Haswell quoting and 
 indorsing these absurd directions, in works intended for 
 practical and scientific men, it tends greatly to lessen our 
 confidence in our popular authors. 
 
 The charge which we have described so minutely, is, of 
 course, to be used only in shooting game of medium size 
 at fair distances. If we shoot at long distances, or at very 
 small or very large birds, it will be necessary to make a 
 change in the size of shot used. For very long ranges, 
 
44 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 Nos. 3, 2, and even i, may sometimes prove serviceable. 
 Indeed, we have seen teal ducks brought to bag with BB 
 shot ; but in this case the chances were very greatly in favor 
 of the duck. One of these large pellets striking a bird in 
 a vital part, will kill even at a distance of one hundred 
 yards, but the chances against hitting are as a thousand to 
 one. Upon this point, "The Dead Shot" makes the fol- 
 lowing sensible remarks: "The chances are six to one 
 against killing a sparrow, either sitting or flying, at thirty 
 yards, with No. 4 shot; whereas, with the same gun, at 
 the same distance, a sparrow may be killed with certainty, 
 either sitting or flying, with No. 10 shot." 
 
 There are, however, special circumstances under which 
 it is advisable to violate this rule ; and to select, if possible, 
 a size of shot which will answer for several kinds of game. 
 Mills, a very sensible writer on shooting, advises the use 
 of but one kind of shot in all such cases, and gives the 
 following reasons for so doing: "For every kind of shoot- 
 ing, when you may wish to be prepared for a pheasant 
 down to a John Snipe, No. 6 will fill your bag, and give 
 you more success than any changeable plan you may adopt. 
 To give an instance of what varying the size of your shot 
 may do, I shall relate a laughable occurrence that befel a 
 young friend of mine, not forty-eight hours previously to 
 my recording it on this page. There were a few ducks 
 reported to have dropped within a short distance from his 
 home. Charging his best double-barrel with No. 4, he 
 sallied forth, bent upon their destruction. In crossing a 
 moor toward the narrow stream in which report stated the 
 ducks were to be found, a couple of snipes flapped from 
 the rush. Bang 1 bang ! roared his piece ; but the fleet- 
 pinioned birds threw back a triumphant * scape,' and 
 winged away, long after every pellet of No. 4 had spent 
 
SHOOTING ON THE W 'ING. 45 
 
 its force in the air. Assigning the magnitude of the pellets 
 as the cause of his missing, and in the belief that he should 
 find more of the puzzling and quick-winged snipes, he 
 loaded with dust shot. Scarcely, however, had he put caps 
 upon his nipples, when a fine mallard rose within easy 
 range. As the broadside poured into him, he merely in- 
 creased the speed of his departure. Now, supposing there 
 to be no fault behind the trigger, No. 6 would have brought 
 down all three of these birds ; whereas by charging with 
 shot for a particular purpose, which the Fates decreed to 
 be frustrated, the whole of them escaped/' That there is 
 much force in this illustration, no one can deny. We 
 have often killed snipe with No. 5 shot, and ducks with 
 No. 7, so that it would be fair to expect that No. 6, which 
 is. a mean between the two, would prove effective against 
 either or both. And notwithstanding the ease and rapidity 
 with which breech-loaders may be loaded and unloaded, 
 it is utterly impossible to make a change after the bird is 
 on the wing. Therefore, where a variety of game .is to 
 be met with, the adoption of a medium-sized shot is un- 
 doubtedly the only way to make a bag, though where 
 either snipe or duck are followed to the exclusion of other 
 birds, a size larger or a size smaller would, beyond all 
 question, give better results. 
 
 For very long ranges, we must use either Eley's car- 
 tridges or very large shot. We prefer the former, as the 
 chances of hitting are much greater where a cartridge^ is 
 used than where loose shot of large size is employed. 
 With a fourteen gauge gun, seven and a half pounds weight, 
 the heaviest shot that could be used, with any degree of 
 good judgment, would be No. 2, and this could not be 
 expected to retain sufficient momentum to kill at any dis 
 tance beyond sixty yards, unless it struck a peculiarly vital 
 
4f> SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 part. It is true that a single pellet of No. 2 might fly so 
 strongly for one hundred yards as to kill, but the chances 
 of killing would be quite as great with a rifle as with a 
 shot-gun at this distance. And as the greatest charge that 
 could be conveniently fired from such a gun would be 
 one and a half ounces, containing one hundred and 
 twenty-eight pellets of shot, the chances of hitting, even 
 at sixty yards, would be very slight. With a wire cartridge, 
 containing No. 4 shot, the chances are as three to two that 
 the bird will be killed. Consequently, where game is wild 
 and difficult to reach, we always use a wire cartridge in 
 one barrel, but only in one, as the cartridge carries its shot 
 altogether too closely to be useful at short distances. We 
 speak now, of course, of the green cartridge used for long 
 distances ; for we never use cartridges in ordinary shooting, 
 loose shot being sufficiently effective. 
 
 For very large birds, such as turkeys, swans, wild geese, 
 etc., large shot must be employed. Experts recommend 
 Nos, i, B, and even BB. For small game, such as snipe, 
 woodcock, and quail, small-sized shot must be used. The 
 body of any one of these three birds is so small that it takes 
 a close-shooting gun and small shot to hit them at all, 
 though when they are struck it does not require a very hard 
 blow to bring them down. Our favorite charge for wood* 
 cock and quail is one ounce of No. 8 shot and two and 
 three quarter drams of powder. For snipe we use one 
 ounce of No. 9, which contains twenty-five per cent more 
 pellets. But as it is possible that a size above or below 
 these numbers might suit the gun better, the sportsman 
 will do well to find out by experiment the best size, and 
 vise that only. 
 
 The sportsman must always bear in mind that where 
 very large or very small shot are used, there will be con* 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 47 
 
 siderable difference between the weights of equal measures. 
 A given measure of small shot will weigh considerably 
 more than the same measure of large shot, although look- 
 ing at the large pellets we might think that the opposite 
 would be the case. The point is worth noting, however, 
 as even professedly scientific men have been misled in 
 regard to it. * The same is true in regard to powder of 
 large or small grain, and it will also be found that a given 
 weight of large-grained powder or large-sized shot will 
 measure much more in a tube of small calibre than in one 
 of large diameter. Mistakes have often occurred from a 
 want of attention to this point, though when it is once 
 brought to the sportsman's notice, he will find no difficulty 
 in making allowance for it. 
 
 This also explains in a measure the advantage which 
 arises from the use of large-bore guns for throwing shot. 
 A charge of No. i, which measures two cubic inches, in 
 a gun of number five gauge, will occupy more than two 
 cubic inches in a gun of fourteen gauge. Mathematicians 
 will find no difficulty in understanding the causes which 
 give rise to this startling paradox ; practical men who doubt 
 the truth of our statement can easily satisfy themselves by 
 experiment. 
 
 To recapitulate; our charges of shot are as follows : Nos. 
 8 and 9, one ounce ; No. 5, one and a quarter ounces ; 
 No. 3, one and three eighth ounces; No. i and B, one 
 and a half ounces; BB, one and three quarter ounces. 
 It is not claimed that these measures will give equal 
 weights of shot, but when we use a size having so few as 
 fifty pellets to the ounce (BB) we must increase our charge, 
 
 * Professor Johnson, of Yale College, tells us in the Agricultural Annual for 
 1867 (p. 77), that a pint of snipe-shot does not weigh as much as a pint of duck* 
 thot ! If the Professor will only try the experiment he will find out his mistake. 
 
48 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 as with less than ninety pellets the chances of hitting are 
 altogether too small. There are other reasons why the old 
 rule of measure for measure will not hold good. Powder 
 differs greatly in its specific gravity, and, as we have seen, 
 the same weight occupies different spaces according to the 
 size of the grain and the diameter of the tube in which it 
 is measured. To give a table of proportionate weights 
 and measures, as has been done by a recent writer, is to 
 lead to error. Let no man who desires accuracy trust to 
 the old rule of measure for measure. 
 
 Before leaving this subject, it may be proper to allude 
 to a method which is sometimes adopted by very excellent 
 shots. It is that of using very light charges of powder and 
 very heavy charges of coarse shot. For long shots this 
 plan answers admirably, the fact that heavy grains of shot 
 oppose less surface to the air, and consequently meet with 
 less resistance, enabling them to keep up their momentum 
 long after small shot, which started with a far higher initial 
 velocity, has entirely lost its force. The small charge of 
 powder does not scatter the shot as does a large charge; 
 and the result is, that if the gun be well made and carefully 
 directed, a large bird like a grouse or duck may be fatally 
 struck at extraordinary distances. But at ordinary ranges 
 such charges strike the game so as to mangle it horribly, 
 and they are therefore only used by pot-hunters. 
 
 This is by no means a new dodge, but has long been 
 practised by those who care more for game than for sport. 
 Colonel Hanger, in his famous book on sporting, gives 
 the pros and cons very clearly, thus: ' ' Gentlemen-sportsmen, 
 1 can have no personal or self-interested view in requesting 
 you for two or three days to shoot with No. 2, patent, 
 you who at present shoot with Nos. 5 and 6. Don't begin 
 to try it till October, when the birds are strong, and rise 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 49 
 
 at a much greater distance. I give you my word, from 
 convincing practice, that two shots of No. 2 will kill a bird 
 at above seventy yards; when seven of No. 5 or 6 will only 
 maim the bird, but wound him so that, although he will 
 fly away, and you never get him, he undoubtedly may die. 
 At least, gentlemen, I think it is fairly worthy of giving it 
 a trial ; but let me ask you a question : Do you ever expect 
 to kill an old hare with No. 5 or 6, at seventy yards? Upon 
 my word, she will canter on and laugh at you. I assure 
 you, on my word, / have killed some dozens above seventy 
 yards with No. 2. ... I beg leave to call your attention 
 to two facts which are stated in the foregoing pages : the 
 first is, my having killed a partridge above seventy yards, 
 put three shots into him, two of which went in behind, 
 passed through his body, and went out at his breast. The 
 second is, having killed a hare, putting three or four 
 shot into her, at above eighty yards. Can you do the same 
 with No. 5 or 6? I answer, No, you can not; it is not 
 possible. Upon my word, I should not imagine that I 
 should be in any degree of danger of receiving material 
 injury, were I to allow any person to fire at my hinder 
 parts, at four-score yards, with No. 6, provided I had a 
 good pair of buckskin breeches, and particularly had I a 
 great coat on, not of any particular thick cloth, but super- 
 fine only. I do not believe that any shot would penetrate 
 that coat strong enough even to give me pain. So firm is 
 my preference of No. 2 to No. 5 or 6 that I think the point 
 can not be contested." 
 
 That there is much truth in what the colonel states is 
 undeniable, but those who have read his racy though 
 rather plain-spoken book, can not have failed to observe 
 that he is somewhat inclined to poaching, for we do not 
 confine this term to those only who are in the habit of 
 
50 SHOOTING ON THE WING, 
 
 stealing game and trespassing : it may be properly applied 
 to those who, like Colonel Hanger, resort to traps and un- 
 usual methods for catching game. Setting baited rat-traps 
 beneath the surface of water, in the hope of catching wild 
 fowl, is certainly not a sportsmanlike practice. 
 
 HOW TO CLEAN THE GUN. 
 
 Our system of cleaning is somewhat different from that 
 usually laid down by the "authorities;" and, whether 
 better or worse, we prefer it to any that we have seen de- 
 scribed. As the reader may, however, like to have a choice 
 of several methods, we will describe the processes advo- 
 cated by the best sportsmen. 
 
 Frank Forrester tells us that the residuum of the gun- 
 powder exploded, and of the igniting substance of the 
 copper caps, has the effect of producing the worst sort of 
 oxidation of the metal of the barrels, in a greater or less 
 degree, according to the humidity of the atmosphere, and 
 that the purest barrels are rusted the most easily, and suffer 
 the more detriment by rusting. Therefore, says he, no 
 man who owns a fine gun, or any gun which he values, 
 ought ever to put it aside after use without cleaning, even 
 if he have fired but a single shot. Watts, in the following 
 lines, insists upon the same course: 
 
 " If fired only once a day, 
 'Twere wrong to put your piece away 
 Unwashed, because you'll always find 
 Some filth corrosive left behind. 
 As soon as you from sport return 
 (The following words let each one learn, 
 Seeing them all in order done) 
 Feed dog feed self and clean your gun ! " 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 51 
 
 Herbert (Frank Forrester) directs us to wash out the 
 barrels with cold * water, using a good stout hickory rod 
 and some fine tow wrapped round the brass jag that screws 
 into it. This is to be worked up and down in the barrels 
 until the water passes through perfectly pure, and the tow 
 comes out quite clean. The barrels are then to be filled 
 with boiling hot water, inverted so as to bring the muzzles 
 down, and let the water all drain out; and, after standing 
 five minutes by a warm fire, thoroughly dried by hard 
 friction with fresh dry tow. The interior of the barrels are 
 then to be oiled with a very little oil ; the nipples and their 
 seats, as well as the faces of the strikers, are to be cleaned, 
 oiled, and wiped dry. 
 
 Similar directions are given by Dr. Lewis, Stonehenge, 
 Elaine, the author of "The Dead Shot," and others, and 
 they are substantially the directions that have been embo- 
 died in doggerel verse by Watts. 
 
 Having had probably as much experience as most men 
 in the using and cleaning of guns, we have never felt the 
 necessity for using water, under ordinary circumstances. 
 Whenever water is used, it is the most difficult thing in the 
 world to remove it completely from those inaccessible 
 crevices which are to be found in every gun, especially 
 about the seat of the cones and the chambers. Into these 
 the drying-tow can not enter, and the result is that it lies 
 there and corrodes the barrels more injuriously than would 
 the dirt from a dozen charges of powder. For, Frank 
 Forrester and others to the contrary notwithstanding, the 
 residuum from good gunpowder is not very injurious to 
 iron or steel. We have now before us a piece of a very 
 fine barrel, six inches long, in which several charges of 
 powder were fired about six months ago; and after the 
 
 * The United States Ordnance Manual directs the use of warm water. 
 
52 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 lapse of that time, no corrosion has appeared, though on 
 the outside, where a little moisture was left by contact with 
 the hands, the rust has penetrated quite deeply. As to the 
 corrosive power of the gas from percussion caps, the reader 
 would do well to refer to our chapter on that subject. Well- 
 made gunpowder, when burned, does not leave behind 
 any acid residuum, but rather one that is slightly alkaline, 
 and consequently preservative. 
 
 That we do not exaggerate in regard to the difficulty of 
 removing the last traces of water, the following quotation 
 from Dr. Lewis's " Hints to Sportsmen " will show: "If any 
 of our readers doubt this fact, let him clean his gun, and 
 wipe it out as thoroughly as possible with the softest rags ; 
 then let him remove the nipples, and he will find a drop 
 of water, or at all events a great deal of moisture, at the 
 very bottom of the chamber. We have tried it over and 
 over again with our guns, and have always found such to 
 be the case." 
 
 After a day's ordinary shooting, we proceed as follows : 
 Having drawn the ramrod, and brought the locks to half- 
 cock, we remove the barrels from the stock, and hold them 
 with the muzzle down. We then brush the breeches out 
 carefully by means of a fine brush, made either of brass 
 wire or stiff bristles. The object of this is to remove any 
 solid residuum that may remain in the barrels, and prevent 
 it getting into the cones or chambers. We then take a 
 well-oiled rag preferably of coarse flannel six inches 
 square. Tow should never be used, as it is neither as 
 convenient nor as safe. Neither should linen or cotton 
 rags be employed, as they may give rise to serious acci- 
 dents. A small particle of tow, cotton, or linen, left in 
 the breech of the gun will ignite at the first discharge, and 
 may remain in the barrels and fire the powder that is 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 53 
 
 poured in to re-load ; and accidents from this source are 
 too common to wan ant us in neglecting proper precau- 
 tions against them. With flannel, woollen cloth, or sponge, 
 such an accident can not occur. 
 
 The rag we fold twice, giving four thick- 
 nesses, and place it on the end of a stout 
 hickory rod, having a notch around the lower 
 end, as shown in the figure. Both barrels 
 are wiped out with this, the rag being opened 
 and re-folded so as to give eight fresh surfaces. 
 By the time these eight surfaces are soiled the 
 barrels will be perfectly clean. They should 
 then be rubbed dry with a clean rag, after 
 which they may be safely put away, with a 
 certainty that no concealed source of injury 
 lurks within them. 
 
 It may, perhaps, be feared that this process 
 must fail to clean out the connection between 
 the chambers and the nipples, and that a 
 miss-fire may possibly be the result. An ex- 
 perience of many years, however, shows us 
 that there is no danger of this, even if the 
 process that we have described be the only 
 operation that is performed. If, however, we 
 occasionally remove the nipples, we have full 
 access to the channel leading to the chambers, and can 
 remove all dirt most thoroughly. We may also mention 
 that the lower end of the wiping-rod should be somewhat 
 the form of the chambers, which may be cleaned by a 
 single thickness of rag, forced in and turned round a few 
 times in them. We therefore conclude from experience 
 that this process is quite as good as that described by 
 Frank Forrester ; and as it does not demand more than 
 
 Hickory 
 1m &" 
 
54 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 half the labor, and can be performed anywhere in a hotel, 
 boarding-house, or elsewhere without making a fuss, we 
 give it a most decided preference. 
 
 The kind of oil preferred by us is good sperm. It does 
 not take more than one or two teaspoonfuls to clean a gun 
 very thoroughly, so that the expense is no objection. The 
 best oil for cleaning, however, is kerosene ; and if it were 
 not for its abominable odor, and the fact that it becomes 
 converted, after exposure to the air, to a tough, clammy, 
 resinous substance, we would use it altogether. When, 
 however, we find our guns very badly encrusted, we always 
 use a little kerosene, which removes anything of that kind 
 instantly. In such cases, after wiping the gun as thor- 
 oughly as possible with a dry rag, we oil it with sperm, 
 and again rub it dry. 
 
 A leaded barrel we have never seen. We have often 
 been shown barrels which were said to be leaded, but the 
 encrusting material was not lead. Having long suspected 
 this, we determined to test it ; and therefore we collected 
 what some would have called " leading, "scraped from our 
 own gun, and samples of the same thing from the guns 
 of half a dozen of our friends, who were famous for the 
 care with which they removed all traces of leading with the 
 scratch-brush. In these samples we could detect no lead 
 ourselves ; but lest we might be mistaken, we submitted 
 the so-called leading to a friend who is a well-known 
 chemist, and who analyzed it carefully. The result was 
 that it proved to be mere hardened residuum from the 
 powder. Leaded barrels may exist, but we have never 
 seen them, and feel satisfied that what is usuafly called 
 4 'leading," in good smooth barrels, is not leading at all. 
 We therefore make no provision for the removal of lead, 
 and greatly prefer kerosene to the scratch-brush. 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 55 
 
 The nipple-seats, the groove of the ribs, the corners 
 about the thimbles, and all other nooks and crannies that 
 might harbor dirt, should then be carefully cleaned ; and 
 for this purpose there is nothing equal to a stiff brush. 
 For most parts, a tooth-brush answers very well, but the 
 bristles are hardly long enough for cleaning the deep re- 
 cesses around the nipples. - We therefore use a jeweller's 
 plate-brush, which is thickly set with long bristles, just 
 the thing for the purpose. The whole barrel should be 
 well oiled, and then wiped perfectly dry, as nothing is 
 more disagreeable than a greasy gun. The same remark 
 applies to the ramrod. The stock, if varnished, should be 
 rubbed hard with an oiled rag; and where the wood is 
 finished in oil, instead of being varnished, it is well to rub 
 it occasionally with a rag moistened with furniture-oil, 
 which is, however, nothing but linseed-oil colored. This 
 should never be done, however, when the gun is to be 
 used again within a few days, as the odor of the oil is any- 
 thing but agreeable. But if the stock can be exposed to 
 the air for a short time, the odor disappears, and the look 
 of the stock is greatly improved. 
 
 The locks seldom require to be removed from the gun, 
 and then only after having been exposed to rain, mist, 
 or snow. The outside should be carefully oiled, and the 
 hammers thoroughly cleaned, especially on the striking 
 faces. In removing the locks, great care must be taken 
 not to injure the wood-work into which they are fitted. 
 No screw-drivers, chisels, or other prying tools, should 
 ever be inserted between the lock and the wood for the 
 purpose of lifting out the former ; but, having drawn the 
 screw or screws which hold the lock in place, tap the in- 
 side of the hammer very gently with a piece of wood, and 
 the lock will come out without any trouble. By alternately 
 
56 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 oiling and wiping every accessible part of the lock, both 
 when the hammer is up and when it is down, the lock 
 may be very thoroughly cleaned and oiled without being 
 taken apart. When it requires taking apart, it should be 
 sent to the gunsmith, unless the owner has considerable 
 mechanical ability. More locks are spoiled by being tam- 
 pered with by inexperienced persons than by any other 
 cause. 
 
 Thorough cleaning is not only necessary for the pre- 
 servation of a gun, but is essential to its good shooting. 
 Smooth, clean barrels, and free-working locks are great 
 aids in quick shooting and hard hitting. 
 
 HOW TO CARRY AND HANDLE THE GUN. 
 
 All who use a gun ought to take great pains in accus- 
 toming themselves to carry it in such a way that it will 
 not only be perfectly safe, but ready at an instant's warning 
 to do effective service. 
 
 The proper position of the hammers whether at full- 
 cock or half-cock is a question which has called forth, 
 much discussion. All are, of course, agreed that a gun 
 should never be carried with the hammers down on the 
 caps ; for, when in this condition, the catching of a twig 
 or a blow arising from a fall, would infallibly cause an 
 explosion. And as the hammers are not protected like 
 the triggers, there is great liability of their being caught 
 and drawn backwards. When this accident occurs to 
 hammers that are resting on the caps, there is every chance 
 that the hammers will not be drawn back far enough to be 
 caught by the half-bent notch ; and, in that case, they fall 
 again on the caps, which are sure to explode. 
 
 Some very excellent and careful shots advocate the carry- 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 57 
 
 ing of the gun at half-cock; and, so far as mere carrying 
 is concerned, the safety is certainly greatest in this con- 
 dition. Such shooters always bring back the hammers to 
 full-cock during the act of raising the gun to the shoulder, 
 and we have known some very quick shots who invariably 
 pursued this plan ; but we doubt much if a beginner could 
 ever make snap-shots in this way. It certainly requires 
 considerable practice, especially with the second barrel, 
 and particularly if the second barrel be the left-hand one. 
 If, however, the sportsman have long fingers and steady 
 nerves, he can not do better than carry his gun in this way. 
 Dr. Lewis objects to this method of carrying the gun, on 
 the ground that a nervous man may allow the hammer to 
 slip from his fingers before the tumbler has reached the 
 full-cock notch ; and, in that case, he claims that an ex- 
 plosion would ensue. Surely not. The hammer would 
 merely fall back to half-cock, and stop there. 
 
 On the whole, we think that, except in dense covert 
 shooting, where snap-shots are the rule, the hammers are 
 best carried at half-cock. 
 
 So far as the mere carrying of a loaded gun is concerned, 
 the great point to be observed is to see that it never, even 
 for a single instant, points in the direction of any living 
 being. Neither should a muzzle-loader ever be carried 
 with the muzzle down. Unless the wads are very tight, the 
 charge is apt to shake loose. 
 
 In getting into a waggon, always take off the caps. If 
 the tin-lined cap be used, none of the fulminating powder 
 can adhere to the nipples, and the hammers may be safely 
 let down on the cones. If, however, the caps be of the 
 thin G.D. kind, it is almost impossible to take them off 
 without leaving some of the fulminate behind ; and we 
 have frequently fired off a charge, for experiment, by means 
 
58 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 oi such residuum. No sportsman, however, would use such 
 trash, and therefore we need not dwell upon this point. 
 
 On entering a house, always take off the caps. Frank 
 Forrester says leave them on, because to take them off is 
 to represent the gun as unloaded; and some "unhanged 
 idiot " may pick it up, put on caps, and snap it at the head 
 of a woman or child, for the purpose of frightening them. 
 We acknowledge the risk ; though, if the gun were ours, 
 we suspect that the risk to the brute who would intention- 
 ally point a gun at another, would be almost as great as 
 that incurred by his victim. If able, we would certainly 
 treat him to a severe dose from our dog-whip. But we 
 think that the risk that some child will play with the gun, 
 and discharge it accidentally, is greater still. The safest 
 plan is to discharge the gun or withdraw the charges. All 
 these difficulties are, however, avoided by the use of the 
 breech-loader, from which the cartridges can be extracted 
 in an instant. 
 
 Probably the most dangerous operation connected with 
 the ordinary use of a gun, is in letting down the hammers 
 from full to half cock. We are so apt to pull the wrong 
 trigger, and consequently to discharge one of the barrels, 
 that the utmost caution ought to be observed. By holding 
 the gun with the muzzle pointing directly upward, all 
 danger is avoided, for if the gun does go off it can do no 
 harm. 
 
 In crossing fences, the utmost care must be exercised. 
 It does not always answer to take off the caps or draw the 
 cartridges, as it frequently happens that a bird will get up 
 the instant we are on the other side. The hammers should 
 always be at half-cock, and the muzzle so kept that it shall 
 not point either in the direction of yourself or of any one 
 else. 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 59 
 
 HOW TO LEARN TO SHOOT. 
 
 Shooting is not only an art, but a science. It is of no 
 use to be able to throw a charge of shot just where we wish 
 it to go, if we do not know precisely the proper place to 
 send it. Neither will it do us any good to know where 
 the shot ought to go, if we can not send it there. Much 
 both of the science, and of that which relates more imme- 
 diately to the art, may be learned in the house and from 
 books ; but perfection in the art can only be acquired by 
 practice in the field. And it is curious to observe the 
 strange idqas which men have in regard to this point. It 
 takes a boy months to learn to shove the jack-plane, to 
 forge a piece of iron, or to master any of the mechanical 
 arts. When the young draughtsman first takes hold of his 
 tools, his very awkwardness in handling them prevents 
 him from doing good work ; and it is only after his hands 
 have become used to them that he can make a fair drawing. 
 But a man who has never before in his life handled a gun, 
 takes up a double-barrel, and expects to be able to kill 
 right and left with it, on the very first trial. Those who 
 entertain such expectations will surely be disappointed. 
 
 The first lesson consists in learning how to handle the 
 gun, and this is best learned in the house. Take up the 
 unloaded piece, the hammers being down on the nipples, 
 and practice throwing it to your shoulder for. a quarter of 
 an hour twice each day, and you will soon learn to handle 
 it with freedom, and, in a measure, to point it where you 
 will. Bring it up so as to point it at objects in front, on 
 the right, to the left, and high up ; and when your muscles 
 have become so used to the piece that it seems to come 
 of itself to the mark, it is time to pass to the next step. 
 
 The second lesson consists in bringing the gun to the 
 
60 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 shoulder, and discharging it at the instant the sight L 
 thrown upon the object that we desire to strike. This 
 lesson is the most difficult of all, and nothing but steady 
 practice will enable us to acquire it. Various directions 
 have been given for mastering this stage of instruction, such 
 as snapping caps at a candle in an otherwise dark room, 
 practising at a card, etc. The objection to all these is 
 that the aim being constantly taken at the same stationary 
 object, only half the art is taught. Our method is as 
 follows : 
 
 Procure a pair of those rubber caps that are used for the 
 ends of pencils ; cut them so that the tube is just the length 
 of the nipple, slit the tubular part up, and tie them on the 
 nipples with small tough twine. Unless the rubber is slit, 
 it will be difficult to tie it on securely. Your nipples and 
 hammer-faces are now secured against injury, and you may 
 snap away as much as you please. Caps do little good. 
 They are not much protection to the nipples, they soil the 
 gun, and the sound does not tend to harden the nerves of 
 the shooter; so we would never advise our readers to snap 
 caps at any mark. With the gun prepared as we have 
 described, the learner should now practice throwing up 
 his gun, bringing it to bear on the object, and drawing the 
 trigger the instant the sight is fair. Never try to better your 
 aim. By so doing you will acquire the habit of seeking 
 after the object over the muzzle of the gun, and you will 
 become nervous, undecided, and what is called a poking 
 shot. If you find that the gun does not fully cover the 
 object, never mind. Pull away. What you are now trying 
 to do is to establish a sympathy between the eye, the hand, 
 and the finger; and if you allow yourself to destroy this 
 sympathy by over-riding it for even a few times, you will 
 undo all that you have done. Therefore, draw the trigger 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 61 
 
 at any rate; and, instead of trying to improve the aim, 
 note your error in aiming, and endeavor to do better next 
 time. Do not act as if you had only one chance, and 
 never expected to fire another shot. It is easy for the 
 pupil to tell when he took a good aim and when he made 
 a poor one ; and when he is conscious that he can throw 
 the end of the gun upon any object right or left, up or 
 down, and draw the trigger as soon as he has caught the 
 sight, it is time for him to undertake the third lesson, 
 which consists of actual shooting at inanimate objects. 
 For this purpose, the gun should be loaded with say one 
 dram of powder and half an ounce of very small shot. 
 This will give no recoil ; the explosion will not create any 
 nervous excitement, and yet such a charge will do all that 
 is required of it. Having chosen a place to stand, fix up 
 a dozen cards or old letter-envelopes in different positions 
 all round some high, some low, some to right and some 
 to left, and at a distance of fifteen to twenty paces. If there 
 are trees where you are shooting, tie an envelope to one 
 end of a string and a stone to the other ; throw the stone 
 into the branches of the tree, and the string will probably 
 get entangled in the branches, and the envelope will hang 
 down and present a fair shot. Having prepared a dozen 
 or twenty envelopes, all numbered, take your position in 
 the centre ; load your gun, and select one of the cards or 
 envelopes in your mind, but without looking at it. Then 
 direct your sight to it instantly, and at the same time raise 
 your piece and fire. Do the same by another, and proceed 
 to reload. Keep a record of the shots by the number of 
 the envelopes. If No. i was seen fairly over the barrels 
 at the time of drawing the trigger, mark it Hit; if you feel 
 that you shot wide, mark it Missed. You can verify these 
 notes by inspection after you have shot at all the cards. 
 
62 SHOOTING ON THE WING, 
 
 In this way you will learn to tell pretty certainly whether 
 you have struck your bird or not, when you come to shoot 
 at game. 
 
 This kind of practice should be kept up until you can 
 bring your gun to the shoulder, throw it on the mark, and 
 discharge it so as to hit nineteen times out of twenty. 
 Remember that the great point is to establish perfect sym- 
 pathy between the eye and hand ; and to do this you must 
 observe strictly the rules laid down in lesson two. 
 ' An animated discussion has been carried on for years 
 in regard to the propriety of shutting one eye or keeping 
 both open. Unquestionably the plan of keeping both 
 eyes open is the best, and leads most quickly to efficiency, 
 though there are some very excellent shots who invaria- 
 bly close one eye. The following extract from Watts's 
 " Remarks on Shooting" are pointed and accurate: 
 
 " Follow it not along the sky, 
 To take a formal aim, but try 
 To draw the trigger just as you 
 At your gun's end the object view. 
 Nine times in ten the gun is right 
 At first, obeying well the sight ; 
 But if you look, and look again, 
 And doubt and waver, it is plain 
 Your hand has every chance to be 
 Betrayed by such uncertainty. 
 'Proceed then, as I just have taught, 
 The pleasing knack will soon be caught 5 
 But let me re-advise, for this 
 Prevents, Tm certain, many a miss, 
 Close neither eye\ some good shots say 
 Shut up your left : that's not my way $ 
 But still a man may take his oath, 
 He'd better shut one eye than both* 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 63 
 
 Fve heard of men (it may amaze) 
 Who never care their guns to raise, 
 But fire them from the hip as true 
 As we can from the shoulder do; 
 I mention this that you may see 
 How motion doth with sight agree: 
 If you're collected, I believe 
 Your eye will ne'er your hand deceive." 
 
 The truth is that the great secret of success lies in this 
 perfect sympathy between the eye and the hand. The 
 archer does not shut one eye and look along the arrow 
 when he wishes to strike a mark, and yet many savage 
 nations are so expert with the bow that they kill small 
 animals when running, and even bring down little birds 
 on the wing with this weapon. Vaillant informs us that 
 the boors in the neighborhood of the Cape of Good Hope, 
 when following the plow, are frequently accompanied by 
 numbers of small birds that pick up the worms and grubs 
 thus exposed to view, and so dexterous are these men with 
 their long whips, that any of the little fluttering objects to 
 which their attention is directed, will be struck by them 
 with the greatest nicety possible. In doing this, they never 
 shut one eye. Neither does the carpenter when he drives 
 a nail, or the blacksmith as he swings the ponderous 
 hammer. The fly-fisher when he casts his fly lightly to 
 the very spot where the trout lies, does it with both eyes 
 open ; and those who, at base-ball, try to catch or strike 
 a ball, never shut one eye. All these instances are cases 
 of sympathy between eye, hand, and finger. That this 
 may exist in very great perfection when only one eye is 
 used is undoubtedly true, but those who have to learn 
 from the beginning had better learn with both eyes 
 open. 
 
64 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 One of the great points is to learn to shoot rapidly, that 
 is, to allow as little time as possible to elapse between the 
 formation of the resolution to fire and the act of firing. 
 He who raises his gun and dawdles with it, is a poking 
 shot ; he who always fires on the first impulse is a snap- 
 shot; but he who with perfect coolness makes all his cal- 
 culations rapidly, and then with lightning-like dexterity 
 discharges his piece, is a quick shot and a good sportsman. 
 "I am very desirous of making clear the distinction be- 
 tween a snap-shot and the quick and dashing one that I 
 wish my pupil to become. I have seen some men knock 
 down their birds the moment they topped the stubble ; 
 and, heedless of the nearness, they thus cut their game 
 into ribbons. This is called * snap-shooting/ a system 
 I do not admire or recommend. If you make a practice 
 of pulling your trigger immediately the game presents 
 itself to view, you will not be able to give sufficient time 
 to a close shot ; and I prefer seeing a bird fly away, to its 
 being mangled. There is a want of coolness and style in 
 ' snap-shooting, ' too, which makes a sportsman, however 
 proficient in the knack, look many inches from the crease 
 of perfection in his art. 
 
 "If a bird rise at a long distance say fifty yards a 
 snap-shot will suit admirably. The bird must be hit 
 directly it is on the wing, or the attempt may as well not 
 be made. To say, therefore, that a snap-shot is never to 
 be made, would be wide of my meaning ; and, to be able 
 to make one is a great accomplishment. But what I wish 
 to inculcate is the rule, not the exception. In these long 
 ranges, a slow shot can do nothing. Very likely, he will 
 bring his gun to his shoulder, shut his left eye, and get 
 his muzzle on a level with the bird ; but, by the time that 
 he has done so, he discovers that the bird is too far off, 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING 65 
 
 and that it is useless to pull the trigger. I have frequently 
 seen this farce performed by men who would back them- 
 selves to kill their twenty consecutive birds. No wonder, 
 when they would permit twice as many, and perhaps more, 
 to go without firing a single barrel at them, three fourths 
 of which shots a legitimate sportsman would have taken 
 as a matter of course. 
 
 "The great difference between a quick shot and a snap 
 shot is, that the former discriminates between long and 
 near shots, taking his level and firing in accordance with 
 the distance at which the game springs, while the latter 
 exercises no such discrimination. Far or near, the instant 
 the bird is seen, or the rabbit pops his ears out of the 
 gorse, the snap-shooter fires; and if he were to hesitate 
 for a moment, when his gun is at his shoulder, he would 
 miss/' Mill. 
 
 While waiting for a bird to get off to a reasonable dis- 
 tance, or to get into a proper position, never stand with 
 your gun to your shoulder and your eye looking along the 
 sights. Such a practice is not only clumsy and inelegant, 
 but it tends to make the young sportsman a poking shot. 
 When looking for game, keep your wits about you, and 
 always be prepared for any emergency. If a bird should 
 spring at your feet, try to control your nerves ; keep your 
 eye fixed on him, and hold your gun firmly but easily in 
 the hands, the barrels horizontal, the left hand just in front 
 of the trigger-guard, and the right hand on the grip, as it 
 is called, which is that part of the stock that lies imme- 
 diately behind the lock. The, fingers should be in such a 
 position that the hammers and triggers are within easy 
 control, and the gun should be held just below the point 
 which the elbows occupy when the arms hang down. 
 Standing in this position, watch your bird until distance 
 
66 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 or some peculiarity of position, such as his being about to 
 fly behind an obstruction, shows you that it is time to fire. 
 Then raise your gun quickly but deliberately, and fire. 
 If you have practised well in the preceding lessons, and 
 pay sufficient attention to the rules which we are about to 
 lay down in regard to shooting at objects in motion, your 
 bird will, in nine cases out of ten, come to bag. In all this 
 there are two things which it will be well for you to re- 
 member. In the first place, with such charges as we have 
 described, and with ordinarily good guns, thirty yards may 
 be considered the most fatal distance at which we can fire. 
 Most good shots will kill a bird with greater certainty at 
 this distance than at any other. Secondly, remember that 
 the first movement of all land birds is exceedingly rapid. 
 It is not flight, for the wings have not yet had time to come 
 into full action : it is zjump, aided slightly by the wings. 
 When you wish to make a snap-shot at long distances, the 
 best time to do it is just when the bird has reached the 
 highest point of his upward jump, and before he has had 
 time to get under way on his horizontal flight. A little 
 practice and observation in the field will enable you to 
 take full advantage of this. 
 
 The fourth lesson brings us to the striking of objects in 
 motion ; and if the previous lessons have been faithfully 
 practised, this is by no means the most difficult part of the 
 shooter's ait. To find objects in motion to shoot at, how- 
 ever, is not so easy. If we have a companion or a teacher, 
 very good practice may be obtained by shooting at stones, 
 apples, turnips, or potatoes, thrown into the air. When 
 there is a slight breeze, we may get good shots at pieces 
 of paper, five or six inches square, allowed to float off on 
 the wind. But the best practice of all may be had at the 
 mechanical pigeon. This consists of a piece of light sheet 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING* 67 
 
 iron, shaped like the propeller of a vessel, which is caused 
 to spin rapidly by means of a cord and spool. As soon as 
 the spinning motion attains a certain velocity, the pigeon 
 glides off, rises into the air, and shoots away with con- 
 siderable speed, and for some distance. When there is a - 
 strong wind, the motions of this object are very irregular 
 and sharp ; and, consequently, to hit it tries the skill of 
 even good shots. Hitherto, these mechanical pigeons 
 have been imported from England at high prices, but we 
 understand that preparations have now been made to 
 manufacture in this country and sell them fora very mode- 
 rate sum. The art of throwing off the pigeon is so easily 
 learned by those who possess the article, that no descrip- 
 tion is necessary. Two forms are made. In one the 
 spinning apparatus is held in the; hand, and the pigeon 
 is thrown in any direction, by inclining the handle to the 
 desired point. The other and better form is furnished 
 with an iron stake, which is driven into the ground, and 
 the spinning portion is inclined by means of a very simple 
 but ingenious universal joint. The instrument may be set 
 at eighteen or twenty-one yards, and the spool caused to 
 revolve by means of a long line. If placed about ten 
 yards off, the shooter may pull the cord himself, and ob- 
 tain most excellent practice. But in most cases it is easy 
 to get a boy to go along and pull the string, for the sake 
 of seeing the pigeon go up and get shot. The shot-marks 
 are very easily detected on the sheet-iron, which should, 
 however, be varnished or oiled over when the day's sport 
 is done. In this way, the fliers of which from fifty to 
 one hundred should be provided will be in readiness by 
 the time they are again wanted. 
 
 There is another kind of mechanical bird imported, and 
 called the gyro-pigeon, which may be set up at a distance. 
 
68 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 It is more expensive. The flier is caused to rotate by 
 means of a spring, and the flight is not so strong. 
 
 Other than these we know of no inanimate objects that 
 will afford practice ; so that, after having become tolerably 
 perfect in the lessons we have described, we must take 
 to the field, and practise either at game or small birds. 
 Fortunately for the sportsman, and unfortunately for the 
 farmer, some men of more money than, brains have im- 
 ported the English sparrow into this country. No bird 
 affords finer practice just before the shooting season opens ; 
 and in a few years they will swarm around every grain- 
 field, so that the farmer will implore the young sportsman 
 to thin their numbers with the shot-gun. They may some- 
 times be killed in large numbers while sitting on the stacks 
 of grain ; but as a general thing they do not ' ( pack " until 
 late in the fall, so that they must be taken singly. Shoot 
 them on the wing, right and left; use three quarters of an 
 ounce of No. 10 shot and a dram and three quarters or, 
 for wide-gauge guns, half a dram more of powder. With 
 this charge, you can kill every time at twenty yards, and 
 you need never take a shot above ten paces, as they sit 
 very close. Practise hard on them, as you will benefit the 
 farmer and wonderfully improve your own shooting. 
 
 In shooting at objects in motion, whether animate or 
 inanimate, it is necessary to shoot in front of the object, 
 for two reasons. In the first place, a perceptible time 
 elapses between the impulse to pull the trigger and the 
 expulsion of the charge; and, in the second, the shot takes 
 some time to travel from the muzzle of the gun to its des- 
 tination. At a rising stone, therefore, we must shoot from 
 six inches to a foot above it ; when falling, the same dis- 
 tance below it. When the object is crossing in front of us, 
 we must shoot on the line of its motion, and at least one 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 69 
 
 to three feet ahead, according to its velocity. Never fire at 
 stones, swallows, etc., when they are poised and stationary 
 in the air. You might as well shoot at a fence-post. For 
 inanimate objects and birds of no great swiftness, these 
 rules are all that are necessary ; but for our more active 
 game-birds, more definite directions are needed, and will 
 be given in the next section. 
 
 It may be safely asserted that almost all young shots 
 shoot behind and below their birds, and this not because 
 they do not know how the gun ought to be aimed, but be- 
 cause they fail to embody this knowledge in their practice. 
 This generally arises from the following cause : the young 
 sportsman looks at his bird, makes as he supposes the 
 proper allowance, and fires. But he forgets that from the 
 time that he brings the gun to bear on the proper spot 
 until the time when his finger obeys the impulse to fire, 
 there is an interval almost as great as that which, he ought 
 to allow for the flight of the bird.* There are two ways 
 of getting rid of this error : one is, to find out by experi- 
 ment how much it is, and make a constant additional 
 allowance for it; the other is, to keep the muzzle of the 
 gun constantly moving in the same direction as the game, 
 and just as far ahead as the allowance for distance, rapidity 
 of flight, wind, etc., requires. The latter plan we consider 
 altogether the best, and it has been generally recommended 
 and practised, though for reasons very different from those 
 which cause us to adopt it. Most writers on shooting tell 
 us that the shot, after leaving the gun, partakes of the side 
 motion which we give to the barrels, and, instead of going 
 to a point in the line of the aim, it goes to a point ahead 
 
 * This interval is known among practical astronomers as the "personal equa- 
 tion," and has been found to differ considerably in different individuals, and in the 
 same individual under different conditions of the system. 
 

 
 70 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 of it, just as in the well-known philosophical experiment, 
 where a body acted upon by two forces does not pursue 
 either of them, but moves along the diagonal between 
 them. Unfortunately this law finds no practical application 
 here, for the simple reason that the side velocity which we 
 can impart to the barrels of the gun by means of our hands, 
 is so small that it can not affect the result to any perceptible 
 extent. In addition, therefore, to the effect produced by 
 keeping the gun in motion, we must make all the other 
 allowances, which are more fully detailed in the next 
 section. 
 
 Having made himself familiar with the principles of this 
 subject, practice alone can confer that dexterity which will 
 enable the young sportsman to put them in successful 
 operation. 
 
 FINISHING TOUCHES. 
 
 He who has faithfully followed our directions thus far, 
 practising under each lesson until he can do what is re- 
 quired without giving his whole attention to the acts to be 
 performed, so that his observing powers may be left free 
 to watch every movement that is going on around him, 
 will find no difficulty in making a good bag whenever 
 game is moderately plenty. Indeed, with the aid of a good 
 dog and a slight knowledge of the habits of the animals 
 of which he goes in pursuit, he will do well in almost any 
 part of the country. Occasionally he may miss the fairest 
 shots a thing which occurs to the oldest and most expe- 
 rienced sportsmen and frequently he will find chances 
 that are so difficult, that, to kill under such circumstances 
 will be the exception and not the rule. It is to enable him 
 to make sure work of these difficult cases that we give the 
 following hints: 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 71 
 
 Hitherto the objects of the learner's markmanship have 
 been such that adherence to very general rules enabled him 
 to strike them. Besides this, the distances have been 
 moderate, and pretty accurately known, so that allowances 
 on this score were either unnecessary or very easily made. 
 It is when the distances at which the objects are fired at, 
 and the rapidity with which they move, vaiy between wide 
 extremes, that it will require all the judgment and skill at 
 the command of the sportsman to insure success ; and this 
 success will depend greatly upon the accuracy of that in- 
 stantaneous estimate which he is necessarily obliged to 
 form under such circumstances. The necessity for accu- 
 rate knowledge, not only of the powers of our weapon but 
 of the rate of motion and character of the game, will be 
 easily seen from the following considerations. Let us 
 suppose a wild duck going down wind at ninety miles an 
 hour, as they frequently do, and that the sportsman fires 
 at it from a distance of fifty yards a very ordinary range, 
 by the by. At this distance it will require at least an ounce 
 and a half of No. 3 or 4 shot to do efficient execution ; 
 and, if the gun be a good one, the charge will cover evenly 
 a space very little more than thirty inches in diameter. To 
 insure killing the bird, it must be found at a distance not 
 greater than fifteen inches from the centre of the charge, 
 and unless it be within a radius of ten inches, it is by no 
 means certain that the game will be bagged. Let us then 
 consider the estimates that are required to insure this result, 
 and the accuracy with which they must be made. First, 
 as to aim. If the gun be thirty inches long, a variation 
 of half an inch in the position of the muzzle will bring the 
 bird outside of the charmed circle, and he will escape. 
 The author of "On the Wing" tells us that a variation of 
 one or two inches at the muzzle of the gun will not affect 
 
72 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 the killing character of the shot* At twenty-five yards the 
 least of these distances would cause a miss, unless a stray 
 pellet happened to strike the bird. 
 
 Let us now consider the allowance to be made for the 
 bird's motion. Flying at the rate of ninety miles per hour, 
 the bird will pass over one hundred and thirty-two feet 
 every second. Now, the average velocity of shot from a 
 gun is probably under one thousand feet per second during 
 the first fifty yards. The initial velocity of a rifle-bullet is 
 about fourteen hundred feet per second ; and if we grant 
 that a charge of shot has the same initial velocity, it is not 
 too much to say that it will be reduced to the initial velo- 
 city of a pistol-bullet before it has gone fifty yards. This, 
 according to the United States "Ordnance Manual," is 
 six hundred and three feet per second, and this gives an 
 average velocity during the whole distance of about one 
 thousand feet per second. That the shot will suffer this 
 rapid reduction in its velocity no one will doubt who has 
 studied carefully the effect of air upon projectiles moving 
 at a high velocity. Robins estimates the resistance of the 
 air to a twenty-four pound shot as being equal to a steady 
 pull of four hundred pounds against its motion ; and he 
 calculates that if it were not for this resistance, such a shot 
 would attain a range of about twenty-five miles! He even 
 cites a case in which, if it were not for the resistance of the 
 air, the ball would range forty-seven miles ! And since 
 this resistance increases as the square of the velocity, giving 
 a four-fold resistance for a double velocity, and twenty-five 
 times the resistance for a five-fold velocity, it is easy to see 
 that the shot will suffer the greatest reduction of speed 
 during the early part of its flight. This is especially true 
 
 * And this although he tells us (p. 21) that the space covered is but thirty square 
 inches, which would give a circle about six inches in diameter ! 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 73 
 
 when we remember that the shot, as it leaves the muzzle, 
 has the form of an elongated ball, the very best form for a 
 projectile to escape the resistance of the air. But as soon 
 as it has gone a few yards, the same projectile spreads out 
 so as to cover an area equal to that of a twenty-four pound 
 cannon-ball ; and it will therefore meet with the same re- 
 sistance that is encountered by such a ball moving with 
 equal velocity, while it has not one three-hundredth part 
 of the weight of the cannon-shot, and consequently not 
 more than one three-hundredth part of the momentum or 
 power to overcome this resistance. The shot would there- 
 fore require rather less than the one sixth of a second to 
 reach the bird, which, during this time, would have flown 
 upwards of twenty feet ! It is true that this is an extreme 
 case, but such instances have occurred, and it shows us 
 that an error of fifteen per cent in our estimate of distance 
 or speed, will throw the shot before or behind the bird. 
 How shall the young sportsman proceed, so that he may 
 learn to make these estimates accurately and unhesi- 
 tatingly? 
 
 First of all, learn the power of your gun, and the way 
 in which it throws its shot. Fire it with standard charges 
 (as described in the chapter on loading) at various dis- 
 tances fifteen, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty, and even 
 seventy yards ; and at these latter distances use also shot 
 of large size Nos. 2, 3, or 4. In this way you will acquire 
 an accurate knowledge of the space covered, and the force, 
 with which the shot is driven. Moreover, all shot falls as 
 it flies from the gun. If the flight be continued for a 
 second, it will fall sixteen feet, by the action of gravity 
 alone. Most guns have the rib so elevated that the gun 
 shoots upward, and compensates for this deflection. See 
 if your gun is so compensated. To this end, fire several 
 
74 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 shots with the most careful sighting preferably from a 
 firm rest and see whether or not the body of the shot 
 strikes above or below the mark. Then, in future adjust 
 your aim accordingly. And, by the way, in shooting from 
 a rest, see that the gun is placed upon some soft substance, 
 such as an old towel or handkerchief. We have known a 
 fine gun to be badly scratched by being fired from a rest 
 in careless hands. 
 
 The next step is to learn to estimate distances accurately. 
 All crack shots are good judges of distance and speed. 
 This is best attained by practising when you are out walk- 
 ing. Throw your eye forward in the direction in which 
 you are going ; fix upon some object at thirty to forty yards 
 off; estimate the distance, and then count the paces to it. 
 You will find that the average length of a pace is very 
 nearly regular ; so that if you step off one hundred paces 
 and then measure this distance accurately, you will come 
 pretty near the average length of one of your steps, and 
 can thereafter measure off thirty, forty, or fifty yards, with 
 great accuracy, by merely walking over the ground. 
 
 Another important point is to learn the apparent length 
 of one, two, ten, or twenty feet, when viewed from various 
 distances. Mark off ten feet on a fence, step back forty 
 yards, and observe the apparent length of the ten feet. In 
 this way you gain most important information ; and a little 
 practice will enable you to measure off two or three feet 
 ahead of a duck with great accuracy. 
 
 To learn to estimate the velocity of a bird is a much 
 more difficult matter, for the simple reason that we have 
 no accurate means of measuring the time and space that 
 go to make up this velocity. Watching birds flying parallel 
 with a railroad train moving at known speed, we are in- 
 clined to estimate the ordinary flight of common birds at 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 75 
 
 about twenty miles per hour. Quail and grouse, when 
 flying from the sportsman, move much more rapidly, at 
 least forty to fifty miles per hour, and frequently sixty. 
 But all these birds vary greatly in the velocity with which 
 they fly. The slow sailing flight of the pigeon, when ex- 
 amining a field for a good feeding-place, is very different 
 from that of the same bird when it shoots away like a 
 rifle-bullet, at the sound of the gun. t 
 
 But while a careful study of all these, points goes to 
 make the finished performer, let not the young shooter 
 despair because he can not always kill at long range, or 
 under circumstances of peculiar difficulty. The degree 
 of skill which may be attained by patience and practice is 
 wonderful ; but even from the first, he who has intelligently 
 studied his weapon, and carefully practised the lessons we 
 have given, will be able to kill game respectably. The 
 practice required is not greater than that frequently given 
 by some ambitious little girl who wishes to shine in playing 
 an ordinary air upon the piano ; and that the attainment 
 of skill by those whose physique and habits adapt them to 
 the sports of the field is something to be desired, none 
 who have tried them will doubt. Some of our most earnest 
 philosophers and poets have been noted for their fondness 
 for the gun and rod ; and it would be hard to tell how 
 much of that vigor and earnestness which Davy displayed 
 in his great researches, was derived from the hours spent 
 in the pursuit of game, or how much of the inspiration 
 which fills the charming poetry and romance of Scott, we 
 owe to the same source. 
 
 USEFUL HINTS. 
 
 It is to be presumed, as a matter of course, that every 
 young sportsman desires to so conduct himself when in 
 
76 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 the company of others, that the general good feeling and 
 success of the party maybe promoted. Most young hands 
 err, rather from want of thought and from excessive eager- 
 ness, than from wrong intentions ; and therefore the fol- 
 lowing hints, by an old English sportsman, may not be 
 out of place : 
 
 "When you are shooting in company, among your first 
 resolutions should be, not from any temptation to endanger 
 the safety of your companion ; or to vex and annoy him 
 by jealous, unfair, and greedy monopolizing of shots. 
 Regarding the first part of the caution, there is nothing 
 more unsportsmanlike; and, as to the second, there is 
 nothing more ungentlemanly in the field. 
 
 "If you are doubling a hedgerow, in the society of a 
 friend, whatever may be the inducement, never fire through 
 the hedge. You may feel quite certain, at the moment 
 of pulling the trigger, that no evil result can happen, as 
 you are assured that your companion is out of the line of 
 the charge. Without doubt this has been the conviction 
 of many who have had sad proof of their mistake. There- 
 fore, on no account whatever should there be the semblance 
 of a deviation from this resolve. It is impossible to impress 
 this too strongly on the minds of young sportsmen. Let 
 them treasure the admonition as priceless. Shooting across 
 your companion, striving to 'wipe his eye, 'and taking 
 every shot that goes as fairly for him as for yourself, is 
 conduct essentially opposite to that of a gentlemanly sports- 
 man. It is certain to create irritation : that feeling may 
 spur him to retaliate, and thus unpleasantly and ill feeling 
 will be engendered in both, greatly to the detriment of 
 sport. To count also your own number of shots against 
 his, and thus, by comparing one with the other, praise 
 yourself at the expense of his failures, is a boyish and silly 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 77 
 
 proceeding. If you shoot better than he does, he can not 
 fail to know it ; and, should you shoot worse, he will evince 
 a polite forbearance by disregarding the balance of skill 
 in his favor." 
 
 All birds that cross belong exclusively to that person to 
 whose side they bear ; and there should be an understand- 
 ing that the shots be taken alternately, when as fair for one 
 as for the other. We do not mean that if a covey spring 
 on the left, the shooter on the right is not to fire ; but he 
 is to take the bird which is nearest to him on the right 
 In the event of a single bird rising, and crossing in the 
 same manner, he ought not to pull his trigger until his 
 companion has tried both his barrels; but if a brace rise 
 at the same moment, in a corresponding form, there is no 
 reason for showing this generosity. Take the one nearest 
 to your side, and the liberality proper to be shown will be 
 accorded. 
 
 Always make it a rule never to fire into a covey or flock 
 of any kind of game-birds. The only birds that true sports- 
 men ever fire at in this way are ducks ; and even then the 
 practice is "more honored in the breach than in the ob- 
 servance." By firing into flocks we wound many more 
 birds than we kill : these fly away, die in inaccessible 
 places, and are lost to the sportsman. On the other hand, 
 he who selects an outside bird, and brings it down hand- 
 somely, obtains a much higher gratification than can ever * 
 fall to the lot of the pot-hunter. In addition to this, the 
 outside birds are always heaviest and in best condition. 
 Especially is this the case in the fall, when the best feeders 
 and fattest birds generally lag a little behind the rest 
 
 Never condescend to poach, that is, to use unusua' 
 methods for killing game, or to kill it out of season. 
 
80 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 it is to be well rubbed over with a steel scratch-card or 
 scratch-brush, until the rust is entirely removed ; the mix- 
 ture may then be applied again, as before, and in a few 
 hours the barrel will be sufficiently corroded for the opera- 
 tion of scratch-brushing to be repeated. The same process 
 of scratching off the rust and applying the mixture is to be 
 repeated twice or three times a day for four or five days, 
 by which time the barrel will be of a very dark brown 
 color. 
 
 "When the barrel is sufficiently brown, and the rust has 
 been carefully removed from every part, about a quart of 
 boiling water should be poured over every part of the bar- 
 rel, in order that the action of the acid mixture upon the 
 barrel may be destroyed, and the rust thereby prevented 
 from rising again. 
 
 "The barrel, when cold, should afterwards be rubbed 
 over with linseed-oil or sperm-oil. It is particularly di- 
 rected that the steel scratch-card or scratch-brush be used 
 in the place of a hard hair-brush, otherwise the browning 
 will not be durable nor have a good appearance. 
 "VARNISH FOR BROWNED IRON. 
 
 Shellac, I ounce. 
 
 Dragon's Blood, 3-16 of an ounce. 
 
 Alcohol, i quart 
 
 Greener makes the following statement on this subject : 
 "The best method of staining barrels is by the following 
 recipe; but one material fact must not be overlooked. 
 A considerable difficulty exists in staining barrels all steel; 
 in such a case, therefore, the acid should not be so much 
 diluted. 
 
 Muriate Tincture of Steel, . . . . i ounce. 
 
 Spirits of Wine, i " 
 
 Muriate of Mercury, \ " 
 
 k " 
 
 Strong Nitric Acid, 
 Bluestone, 
 
 Water, i quart. 
 
 "These are to be well mixed, and allowed to stand a 
 month to amalgamate. After the oil or grease has been 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 81 
 
 removed from the barrels by lime, the mixture is laid on 
 lightly with a sponge every two hours. It should be 
 scratched off with a steel-wire brush, night and morning, 
 until the barrels are dark enough ; and then the acid is 
 destroyed by pouring on the barrels boiling water, and 
 continuing to rub them till nearly cool. 
 
 "The Birmingham people brown their barrels of inferior 
 quality in the following way, to make them look equal to 
 the best. They dissolve as much muriate of mercury as 
 can be taken up in a dram-glassful of spirits of wine : this 
 solution is mixed with one pint of water, or as much di- 
 luted as the person requires. A small quantity of the 
 mixture is poured on a little whitening, and laid on the 
 barrel with a sponge, rather lightly ; as soon as dry it is 
 brushed off, and a fresh coat laid on ; and so on until the 
 barrel is dark enough, which is generally about two days. 
 The effect that the mercury has on every one of the joints 
 of the fibres is wonderful : it never fails to make them, in 
 two or three days at most, a beautiful brown ; while the 
 other parts being harder, remain, comparatively speaking, 
 quite light. The rust is killed by hot water; but after that, 
 the barrels are suddenly immersed in cold water, which 
 has the effect of heightening the brightness of both colors. 
 The appearance is beautiful, and equally as fine to the eye 
 as stub barrels browned in the same way; though the pro- 
 cess is mostly used for the charcoal iron and the threepenny 
 iron barrels. The only method in which there is no de- 
 ception, is the smoke brown or stain ; and, plainly speak- 
 ing, this and no other is the reason the gunmakers con- 
 demn it. As the acid is decidedly weaker, and of course 
 (ess liable to impart injury to the iron, no barrel can be 
 browned by it, to look well and fine, but the best; or, in 
 other words, none save those possessing steel in their com- 
 position. The method of staining is this : The barrels are 
 anointed with a little vitriolic acid, to cause the iron to 
 receive the effect of the gas more readily ; it is then washed 
 off, and the barrels rubbed dry. The forge fire must then 
 be lighted, and blown up with coal possessing as much 
 
82 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 hydrogen and as little sulphur as possible. When the 
 coals are burnt till they give out a clear white flame with 
 no black smoke around it, the barrels must be passed 
 gradually through that flame backward and forward, until 
 the whole are covered with a black sooty covering. Place 
 them in as damp and cool a cellar as can be procured, and 
 allow them to stand for eighteen hours ; at that time, if the 
 place is sufficiently damp, the iron parts will be found 
 covered with a red rust, while the particles of steel still 
 retain the original sooty cast. Scratch these off with a steel 
 brush, the same as by any other method of staining ; then 
 take a piece of linen cloth, and wash or polish the barrels 
 with water and a little washed emery, when the steel will 
 be found of its original bright color, and the iron a shade 
 darker, with the outlines of both distinctly preserved. Rub 
 the barrels dry, and again pass them through the flame 
 precisely as before ; but, above all things, be careful not 
 to allow them to remain in the flame till they become hot 
 enough to melt the solder. When you have once passed 
 them through, do not be in a hurry to pass them again, 
 but in both be guided by moderation : neither allow them, 
 after the first time, to stand to rust more than twelve hours 
 each time. Polish them as before, and you will find them 
 a shade darker at every smoking. Persevere, until they 
 become as dark as you wish to have them. The utmost 
 you can obtain is a fine purple-black color on the iron ; 
 and on the steel a shade inclined to a copper color: but 
 if proper attention be paid to the polishing, it will not 
 change much from its original color. The barrels are 
 taken out of stain in the same way as in other recipes, by 
 hot water; but you must continue to scratch or brush 
 them longer, for by that means you obtain a greater 
 gloss." 
 
 To Remove Old Browning. Plug the vent and 
 the muzzle of the barrels; immerse the browned parts for 
 one hour in boiling lime-water or lye, to remove the var- 
 nish or grease ; wipe them, and put them in vinegar, in a 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 83 
 
 wooden trough, for half an hour or an hour, when the 
 urowning may be rubbed off with a rag. 
 
 To keep Barrels from Rusting. One of the great 
 difficulties which the sportsman has to contend against is 
 the rusting of his barrels, even when protected by the best 
 browning. The alkaline matter existing in snow and in 
 rain, under certain conditions of the atmosphere, works 
 through the best coatings, and reaches the iron. Varnish, 
 as ordinarily laid on, is objectionable, as it gives a gun a 
 "Brummagem" look. The best plan is the following: 
 Heat the barrels to the temperature of boiling water (not 
 any hotter, or you may injure them), and rub them with 
 the best copal varnish, giving them a plentiful coating. 
 Let them remain hot for half an hour, and then wipe them 
 clean with a soft rag. In this way you can get enough of 
 the varnish into the pores of the metal to act as a preser- 
 vative, and, at the same time, no one would suspect that 
 the barrels had ever been touched with varnish. We have 
 applied boiled oil, beeswax, paraffin, and some other sub- 
 stances, in the same way, and obtained good results; but 
 on the whole, we find nothing better than good copal 
 varnish. 
 
 To Clarify Oil. Very excellent oil is now sold by 
 the agents of most sewing-machines. We have used that 
 supplied by the Singer Sewing-Machine Company, and 
 find it excellent. Fine animal-oils are most suitable for 
 the fine works of the lock ; and when a first-rate article 
 can not be obtained, ordinary sperm-oil may be clarified 
 by keeping it in a bottle with some thin shavings of lead. 
 The impurities collect on the lead and sink to the bottom, 
 and the pure oil may be poured off. 
 
 Waterproof Clothes and Boots. Where the 
 hunting-grounds are very wet, as is frequently the case in 
 snipe and duck shooting, it is absolutely necessary that 
 the sportsman should be provided with waterproof boots. 
 
84 SHOOTING ON THE WING. 
 
 Boots made of India-rubber can now be obtained of very 
 moderate price and very convenient form. Some sports- 
 men, however, object to rubber boots, and prefer leather, 
 which should be well dressed with some preparation that 
 will enable it to resist moisture. One of the most easily 
 obtained dressings is neat's-foot oil, which should be well 
 rubbed in before a good fire, while the leather is damp. 
 Linseed-oil is sometimes recommended, but it is objec- 
 tionable, as it dries and renders the leather hard and liable 
 to crack. Another very good mixture is composed of 
 equal parts of lard and common resin melted together. 
 Colonel Hawker's recipe is as follows : 
 
 Boiled Linseed-Oil, i pint. 
 
 Yellow Wax, 2 ounces. 
 
 Turpentine, 2 ounces. 
 
 Burgundy pitch, i ounce. 
 
 Melt over a slow fire ; add a few drams of essential oil 
 of lavender, and rub it into the boots, either in the sun or 
 by the fire. 
 
 Another recipe directs us to take half a pound of bees- 
 wax, one quarter of a pound of resin, and the like quan- 
 tity of mutton suet. Boil these together ; and if the boots 
 be new, anoint them well with this preparation, lukewarm. 
 For old boots, substitute beef-tallow for mutton-suet. 
 
 Chandler's Composition, which is very highly recom- 
 mended, is prepared thus : One quarter of a pound of gum 
 caoutchouc, with sufficient naphtha, oil of sassafras, seneca, 
 or any other solvent, to completely dissolve it ; after this is 
 effected, a pound of tallow and three quarters of a pound 
 of beeswax should be melted together, and, in connection 
 with the dissolved gum, should be kept over a slow fire 
 until they are intimately commingled. When using the 
 preparation, the boots should be slightly wet and warmed : 
 if the mixture is then properly rubbed in, it is almost im- 
 possible for the water to penetrate. 
 
 But all these recipes are inferior to the waterproofing 
 which is applied by the Porous Waterproof Company, 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 86 
 
 whose address is 144 and 146 North Fifth Street, Phila- 
 delphia. This company uses a process which leaves ordi- 
 nary garments perfectly open and porous, and yet com- 
 pletely proof against rain and snow. Consequently, while 
 the perspiration and other exhalations are allowed to escape 
 freely, the wearer is kept dry. We have seen common 
 mosquito-netting so prepared by their process that a table- 
 spoonful of water poured into a little bag of the netting 
 would not pass through ; and boots prepared in this way 
 have been used during a trouting excursion, and kept for 
 hours in the water without showing any signs of leaking. 
 One of the most valuable features of the process is that it 
 can be applied to boots and garments already made up. 
 So far as the comfort of sportsmen is concerned, we have 
 no hesitation in saying that it is the most valuable inven- 
 tion ever brought before the public. 
 
 Mending Rubber Boots. It frequently happens 
 that a slight crack renders a pair of valuable rubber boots 
 entirely worthless ; so that the ability to mend such a break 
 would be worth to the owner very nearly the price of a pair 
 of boots. Dealers in rubber goods sell a cement by which 
 it is said that boots may be mended, but it will be found 
 that very few of the uninitiated are able to apply it success- 
 fully, and the professionals keep the matter a profound 
 secret. We are assured by a person who has been very 
 successful in mending boots, as we know by experience, 
 that the great secret of success lies in getting the two sur- 
 faces that you wish to join, clean and new. Cement will 
 not stick to old, wet, or dirty rubber surfaces. Take a 
 piece of stout sheet-rubber, of a size and shape sufficient 
 to cover the crack ; with sand-paper or a sharp knife or 
 razor, make a new clean surface on both the patch and the 
 boot ; cover both with cement, press them together firmly, 
 and keep them firmly pressed together; stand them by the 
 fire for twelve hours, and then give them a few days to dry. 
 We are assured that a patch put on in this way will not 
 easily come off or leak. 
 
80 SHOOTING ON THE WINti. 
 
 Care of the Health. While field sports, if properly 
 carried on, have undoubtedly a tendency to improve the 
 health of those who engage in them, it frequently 
 happens that the sportsman, either from ignorance or care- 
 lessness, so exposes himself as to be seriously injured. 
 One of the greatest dangers from this exposure is the lia- 
 bility to catch cold, and all the numerous ills rheuma- 
 tism, consumption, colic, fevers, etc. that usually flow 
 from it. The following hints, which we have always found 
 effectual, and which are based on common sense, may 
 perhaps prove useful : 
 
 Little danger need be apprehended from exposure to the 
 most severe weather, provided we are properly prepared 
 for it. Therefore, in the fall and spring always go warmly 
 clad ; and remember that weather which appears to be 
 very pleasant in your own dooryard may be very chilling 
 on the lake, the marsh, the snipe-bog, or the seashore. 
 In fall and spring always go out prepared, as if you ex- 
 pected a rain or snow storm. 
 
 If by chance you should be thoroughly wet with a sud- 
 den shower, do not sit down even under the cover of the 
 most inviting shelter. If you can get into a barn, where 
 you can walk about briskly while the rain is pouring down, 
 very well ; but you had far better walk about under the 
 heaviest shower than creep under a hedge and lie still with 
 wet clothes. A wetting never hurt any man that kept in 
 exercise while he was wet. Stand still or sit down with 
 wet clothes, and your doom is sealed. 
 
 In drinking, when out in warm weather, avoid stagnant 
 water ; and if you are compelled to drink such, it is always 
 well to mix a little good spirits with it. But except for 
 such purposes, never indulge in spirituous or malt liquor 
 when out hunting. Instead, however, of relying on chance 
 supplies of poor water which requires to be qualified with 
 whiskey, we always carry a flask of cold tea, made strong, 
 without milk and with but little sugar. A mouthful of 
 this is more lastingly refreshing than a drink of liquor and 
 water. 
 
SHOOTING ON THE WING. 87 
 
 Most sportsmen follow the advice given by Watts, and 
 \ irry with them 
 
 " A pocket pistol, neat and handy, 
 Charged with some good old rum or brandy,* 
 
 as a precaution against cholera-morbus and similar dis- 
 orders, induced by accidental exposure. This is very inju- 
 dicious. Any chemist can put up a much better prepara- 
 tion than any brandy or whiskey you can find. For our 
 own part, we use a preparation with which we have been 
 acquainted for some years, and which we find to be excel- 
 lent Campbell's Cholera Cordial. It may be procured 
 from almost any druggist, and a small bottle is sufficient 
 for any ordinary excursion. It is unquestionably the best 
 article in market for this purpose. 
 
 Preserving Game after it has been Shot. The 
 
 excessively warm weather during which much of our 
 shooting is done in this country, renders it absolutely 
 necessary that some means should be taken to keep the 
 game from being tainted before it is used ; for, in the 
 United States we do not admire our game in that "high" 
 condition that is so acceptable to European epicures. In 
 many cases, where a large party takes the field, a quantity 
 of ice is taken along, and in this way the results of several 
 days' shooting are kept in good condition until wanted. 
 But, besides the fact that ice is cumbrous, and entirely un- 
 suited to the wants of a small party, it is also true that game 
 that is kept long in contact with ice, loses entirely that fine 
 piquant flavor that renders wild animals so much superior 
 to domestic fowls. It becomes sodden and tasteless, unless 
 indeed the excursionists provide themselves with properly 
 constructed refrigerators, which is very improbable. 
 
 Where game is to be kept under not very unfavorable 
 conditions, great advantage will be gained by paunching 
 the quadrupeds, and drawing the birds, as well as emptying 
 the crops of the latter. Game treated in this way will re- 
 main in sound condition for at least half a day longer than 
 it otherwise would do; and this is a very important matter 
 
88 SHOOTING Off THE WING. 
 
 where the day is exceedingly warm and sultry, as it enables 
 us to take home at night the proceeds of the morning's 
 shooting, while, without this precaution, we have ovei 
 and over again seen birds that had been shot in the morn- 
 ing, thrown away as unusable at night. If the marker 01 
 attendant be provided with a sharp knife, it is but a min- 
 ute's work to remove the crop and entrails from a woodcock 
 or grouse. 
 
 A more efficient, though more troublesome process, but 
 at the same time one that is more easily put in practice 
 than carrying ice, is to remove the entrails or the contents 
 of the crop, or both, and fill the vacant space with coarsely 
 powdered charcoal. Almost all game begins to taint in 
 the neighborhood of these parts, because the incipient pu- 
 trefaction to which the contents of the crop and entrails are 
 liable, extend to the flesh in the immediate neighborhood. 
 The charcoal absorbs all the tainted juices, and keeps the 
 meat in good condition. The charcoal should be carefully 
 selected, only those pieces being chosen which are well 
 burnt and free from all odor of creosote. If it be desired 
 to keep the charcoal from direct contact with the game, it 
 may be tied up in some thin kind of fabric, such as very 
 loose muslin, though we confess that we have never prac- 
 tised such dilletanteism. But by the use of charcoal we 
 have kept birds for a day and a half after others, shot at 
 the same time, had become completely spoiled. 
 
 THE END. 
 
Write for large Illustrated Price-list. Address, 
 J. H. JOHNSTON. 
 
 GREAT WESTERN GUN WORKS. 
 
 No. 179 Smithfield Street, 
 
 PITTSBURGH, PA. 
 
 Breech-Loading Shot-Guns, , . , , $40 to 300 
 
 Double Shot-Guns, 8 to 150, 
 
 Single Guns, . , 3 to 20. 
 
 Rifles, 8 to 75. 
 
 Revolvers, . . . . 6 to 25. 
 
 Pistols, 1 to 8. 
 
 Gun Materials, Fishing-Tackle, &c, 
 
 Large Discount to Dealers and Clubs. 
 
 Army Guns, Revolvers, &c., bought or traded for. Goods sent 
 by express O.O.D., to be examined before paid for. 
 
THE YOUNG SCIENTIST, 
 
 A Practical Journal for Amateurs. 
 
 ISSUED MONTHLY. Price 5O Cents per year. 
 
 It is characteristic of young Americans that they want to be DOING something. 
 They are not content with merely knowing how things are done, or even with 
 seeing them done ; they want to do them themselves. In other words, they want 
 to experiment. Hence the wonderful demand that has sprang up for small tool 
 cheats, turning lathes, scroll saws, wood carving tools, telegraphs, model steam 
 engines, microscopes and ail hinds of apparatus. In nine cases out of ten, how- 
 ever, the young workman finds it difficult to learn how to use his tools or ap- 
 paratus after he has got them. It is true that we have a large number of very 
 excellent text-books, but these are not j ust the thing. What is wanted is a liv- 
 ing teacher. Where a living teacher cannot be found, the rext best thing is a 
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 " How. " The object of the YOUNG SCIENTIST is to give clear and easily followed 
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 mechanical asd chemical processes which we shall undertake to describe. 
 
 The scope and character of the journal will be better understood from an in- 
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 pa? e, than from any labored description. There are, however, three features to 
 which we would call special attention: 
 
 CoRBEsroNDENOE. In this department we intend to place our readers in com- 
 munication with each other, and in this way we hope to secure for every one 
 just such aid as may be required for any special work on tsnd. 
 
 EXCHANGES. An exchange column, like that which has been such a marked 
 success in the Jourmlof Microscopy, wilfbe opened in the YOUNG SCIENTIST. 
 Yearly subscribers who may wish to exchange tools, apparatus, books, or the 
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 without charge. Buying and soiling must, of course, be carried on in the adver- 
 tising columns. 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. The journal will make no claims to the character of a " pic- 
 ture book," but wherever engravings are needed to make the descriptions clear 
 they will be furnished. Some of the engravings which have already appeared in 
 our pages are as fine as anything to be found in the most expensive journals. 
 
 /l [KTotioo. 
 
 As our journal is too small and too low-priced to claim the attention of news 
 dealers, we are compelled to rely almost wholly upon subscriptions sent directly 
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 before becoming regular subscribers, we will send four current numbers as a 
 trial trip f r 
 
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 Where three or more subscribe together for the journal, we offer the following 
 liberal terms: 
 
 3 copies for $1.25 
 
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 Postal orders are, however, much safer and more convenient. To avoid delay 
 arid mistakes address all communications to " THE YOUNG SCIENTIST, Box 4875, 
 New York," and make all checks and orders payable to John Phin. 
 
Just Published. 1 Vol., 12mo. Neatly Bound In Cloth, Gilt Title. Price 75 cents, 
 
 HOW TO USE THE MICROSCOPE. 
 
 A Simple and Practical Book, intended for beginners. 
 BY JOHN PHIN, 
 
 Editor of " The American Journal of Microscopy." 
 
 Second Edition. Greatly Enlarged, with 50 illustrations in the text, 
 
 and 4 full-page engravings printed on heavy tint paper. 
 
 WHAT A MICROSCOPE is Different Kind* of Microscopes __ Simple Mi- 
 croscopes. Hand Magnifiers. The Coddiagton Lens. The Stanhope 
 Lens. Kaspail's Microscope. The Excelsior Microscope. Twenty -five 
 cent Microscopes aud how to make them. Penny Microscopes. 
 
 COMPOUND MJCROSCOPES. Different kinds of Objectives. Non-Achrom- 
 atic Objectives. French Achromatic Objectives Objectives of the English 
 Form. Immersion Objectives Focal Lengths corresponding to the num- 
 bers employed by Nachet, Hartnack and Gundlach. 
 
 How TO CHOOSE A MICROSCOPE. Microscopes for Special Purposes. 
 Magnifying Power required for different purposes. How to judge of the 
 quality of the different parts of the Microscope. 
 
 ACCESSORY APPARATUS. Stage Forceps, Animalcule Cage, etc. 
 
 ILLUMINATION. Sun Light. Artificial Light. Bulls-Eye Condenser. 
 Sido Reflector. The Lieberkulm. Axial Light. Oblique Light. Direct 
 Light. 
 
 How TO USE THE MICROSCOPE. How to Care for the Microscope. 
 
 How TO COLLECT OBJECTS. "Where to find Objects. What to Lookifor. 
 How to Capture Them. Nets. Bot tie-Holders. Spoons. New Form of 
 Collecting Bottle. Aquaria for Microscopic Objects. Dipping Tubes. 
 
 THE PREPARATION AND EXAMINATION OF OBJECTS. Cutting Thin Sections 
 of Soft Substances. Sections of Wood and Bone. Improved Section Cut- 
 ter. Sections of Bock. Knives. Scissors. Needles. Dissecting Pans 
 and Dishes. Dissecting Mici scopes. Separation of Deposits from 
 Liquids. Preparing whole Insect. Feet, Eyes, Tongues, "Wings, etc., of 
 Insects. Use of Chemic.il Tests. Liquids for Moistening Objects. Re- 
 fract ive Power of Liquids. Covers for Keeping out Dust. Errors in Micro- 
 scopical Observations. 
 
 PRESERVATION OF OBJECTS. General Principles. Recipes for Preserv- 
 ative Fluids. General Rules for Applying them. 
 
 MOUNTING OBJECTS. Apparatus and Materials for: Slides, Covers, Celli, 
 Turn-Table, Cards for Making Cells, Hot-Plate, Lamps, Retort Stand, 
 Slide-Holder, Mounting Needles, Cover Forceps, Simple Form of Spring 
 Clip, Centering Cards, G )ld Size, Black Japan, Brunswick Black, Sheilac, 
 Bell's Cement, Sealing Wax Varnish, Colored Shellac, Damar Cement, Mar- 
 ine Glue, Liquid Glue, Dextrine. Mounting Transparent Objects Dry. 
 Mounting in Balsam. Mounting in Liquids. Mounting of Whole In- 
 sects. How to Gat Rid of Air-Bubbles __ Mounting Opaque Objects. 
 
 FINISHING THE SLIDES. 
 
 May be obtained from any Bookseller or News Agent, or will be sent by 
 mail, postage paid, on receipt of price. 
 
 THE INDUSTRIAL PUBLICATION COMPANY, 
 
 I. 0. Box 4875. 17C Broadway, New York. 
 
GENESIS AND GEOLOGY. 
 
 The only really scientific and logical system of harmony between 
 Genesis and Geology is to be found in a little work, just published 
 and entitled 
 
 THE CHEMICAL HISTORY 
 
 OF 
 
 The Six Days of Creation. 
 
 By JOHN PHIN, 0. E., EDITOB OF " THE TECHNOLOGIST." 
 t Tol.f 12rno., Cloth. 75 cents. 
 
 In this work an attempt is made to show that the account 
 given of the Creation, in the first chapter of Genesis, agrees 
 literally with the record developed by the investigations of modern 
 science. 
 
 May be ordered through any bookseller. Single copies sent by 
 mail, on receipt of price, by 
 * THE INDUSTRIAL PUBLICATION COMPANY, 
 
 P. 0. Box 4,875. 176 Broadway, New York. 
 
 The following are a few of the Opinions of the Press: 
 
 This is P small book, but full of matter. The Presbyterian 
 (Philadelphia). 
 
 A very candid and ingenious essay. Christian Union (H. W. 
 Beecher's paper). 
 
 It is a topic which needs a calm and well-directed intellect to 
 approach, and Mr. Phin has surrounded its discussion with 
 thoughts of the deepest interest to all minds seeking rest on this 
 much perplexing question. Journal of the Telegraph. 
 
 The reasons and conclusions are clear, distinct, and natural. 
 The book will interest and instruct, and is intended to lead the 
 reasoning mind to firmer faith in the light of revelation. New 
 York Globe. 
 
 No one can read this book without compensation, without be* 
 coming more thoughtful concerning the phenomena of creation 
 and he need lose none of his reverence for the supremacy of the 
 Divine Law. Rural New- Yorker. 
 
The Only Practical Book Published on this Subject. 
 
 THE PISTOL 
 
 AS A 
 
 WEAPON OF DEFENCE, 
 
 In the House and on the Road. 
 12mo. Cloth. 50 cents. 
 
 This work aims to instruct the peaceable and law-abiding citizens in the 
 best means of protecting themselves from the attacks of the brutal and 
 the lawless. Its contents are as follows: The Pistol as a Weapon of De- 
 fenceThe Carrying of Fire- Arms Different kindg of Pistols in Market; 
 how to Choose a Pistol Ammunition, different kinds; Powder, Caps, 
 Bullets, Copper Cartridges, etc. Best form of Bullet How to Load- 
 Best charge for Pistols How to regulate the Charge Care of the Pistol; 
 how to clean it How to handle and carry the Pistol How to Learn to 
 Shoot Practical use of the Pistol; how to Protect yourself and how to 
 Disable your antagonist. 
 
 " No man is fit to keep house who is not fit to defend it." Henry Ward 
 Beecher. 
 
 " So long as rogues cannot be prevented from carrying weapons, honest 
 men do not consult their own safety and the public good by totally dis- 
 carding them." .Recorder ffackett, 
 
 " Such I hold to be the genuine use of gunpowder; that it makes all men 
 alike tall (or strong.)" Cartyle. 
 For Sale by all Newsdealers, or Sent postpaid by Mail on receipt of price 
 
 THE INDUSTBIAL PUBLICATION COMPANY, 
 
 176 Broadway, New York. 
 
JUST PUBLISHED, in I vol., 12wio., Handsomely Bound 
 
 in Cloth, Gilt Title. Price 50 cents. 
 
 PLAIN DIRECTIONS 
 
 FOB 
 
 The Construction and Erection 
 
 OF 
 
 LIGHTNING RODS. 
 
 By JOHN PHIN, C. E., 
 
 Editor of THE TECHNOLOGIST. Author of THE CHEMICAL 
 
 HlSTOKY OF THE SlX DAYS OF THE CKEATION, etc. 
 
 SECOND EDITION. ENLARGED AND FULLY ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 This is a simple and practical little work, intended to 
 convey just such information as will enable every prop- 
 erty owner to decide whether or not his buildings are 
 thoroughly protected. It is not written in the interest 
 of any patent or particular article of manufacture, and 
 by following its directions, any ordinarily skilful me- 
 chanic can put up a rod that will afford perfect protec- 
 tion, and that will not infringe any patent. Every 
 owner of a house or barn ought to procure a copy. 
 
 May lie Ordered through any Bookseller, 
 
 or will be sent free by mail on receipt of price, by 
 The Industrial Publication Co., 
 
 Post-Office Box 4,875. 176 Broadway, New York. 
 
 *r AMY NEWS COMPANY WILL SUPPLY IT 8 -* 
 
JUST PUBLISHED, in 1 vol., 12mo., Handsomely Bound in Cloth, 
 Gilt Title. Price 75 cents. 
 
 A BOOK FOR EVERYBODY. 
 
 "What to Do 
 
 AND 
 
 How to I3o It 
 
 IN CASE OF 
 
 ACCIDENT. 
 
 This is one of the most useful books ever published. It tells 
 exactly WHAT TO Do IN CASE OF ACCIDENTS, such as Severe Cuts, 
 Sprains, Dislocations, Broken Bones, Burns with Fire, Scalds, 
 Burns with Corrosive Chemicals, Sunstroke, Suffocation by Foul 
 Air, Hanging, Drowning, Frost-Bite, Fainting, Stings, Bites, 
 Starvation, Lightning, Poisons, Accidents from Machinery, and 
 from the Falling of Scaffolding, Gunshot Wounds, etc., etc. 
 
 It ought to be in every house, for young and old are liable to 
 accident, and the directions given in this little book might be the 
 means of saving many a valuable life. 
 
 May be Ordered through any Bookseller, 
 or will be sent free by mail on receipt of price, by 
 
 THE INDUSTRIAL PUBLICATION COMPANY, 
 
 P. 0. Box 4,875. 176 Broadway, New York. 
 
 j*3T ANY NEWS COMPANY WILL SUPPLY IT f -^ 
 
AMATEUR'S HANDBOOK 
 
 Practical Information, 
 
 FOR THE WORKSHOP AND THE LABORATORY. 
 
 This is a handy little book, containing just the information 
 needed by Amateurs in the Workshop and Laboratory. 
 
 Directions for making Alloys, Fusible Metals, Cements, 
 Glues, etc. ; and for Soldering, Brazing, Lacquering, 
 Bronzing, Staining and Polishing Wood, Tempering Tools, 
 Cutting and Working Glass, Varnishing, Silvering, Gilding, 
 Preparing Skins, etc. , etc. 
 
 Neatly Bound. Price 10 cents. 
 
 Will be sent by Mail to any address on receipt of price. 
 
 THE INDUSTRIAL PUBLICATION COMPANY, 
 
 J76 Broadway, 
 
\ 
 
 
 U \t\ Q 
 
VB I023o 
 
 M314083