32 EQUIPMENT. 



But, without arguing the point, let the' sceptic 

 put it to practical test, and if he finds in shoot- 

 ing at the same target of pine-wood, all other 

 things being equal, that he can get deeper pene- 

 tration with No. 6 shot than he can with No. 1, 

 my faith in the certainty of things in this life 

 will be sadly shaken. 



Having wisely chosen our shot, our desire 

 should certainly be to give as great a force 

 to those shot as is compatible with safety, 

 comfort of shooting, and sufficient closeness and 

 regularity in their dispersion ; for an excess 

 of powder over the proper charge will 

 cause the shot to scatter widely. The pro- 

 per amount of powder, as w^ell as the size 

 and proportionate quantities of shot, w^e can 

 determine only by experiment. As to the 

 amount of each suitable for duck-shooting, from 

 my ow^n experience and observation of the 

 charges used by the most successful duck-hunt- 

 ers of my acquaintance, 1 find the best propor- 

 tions to be : 



For a 10-gauge, 4 to 5^ drachms powder, 1 

 to 11 ounces shot. 



For a 9-gauge, 41 to G drachms powder, 1 

 to 14 ounces shot. 



