CHOKE-BORES. 



291 



" How are these for high ?" The different targets 

 had been struck by his gun with from 35 to 42 pel- 

 lets, while those made by the other guns ranged all 

 the way from 15 to 30. I began to almost pity 

 Tonks. 



My gun was to have been done by July 4th, and on 

 that day I expected to make a trial of it. I called for it 

 on the 3d, but found it " in browning," and not quite 

 ready to take out ; so, as I intended to go home into 

 the country a few miles to spend the holiday, Tonks 

 said to me, pointing at the same time to a gun that 

 was standing in a rack close by, *' Take that gun 

 home with you and try it ; I bored it especially for 

 Jack Heywood to shoot in a pigeon match with 

 Bloodgood of Providence, Rhode Island, the shot be- 

 ing limited to one half ounce. If it don't shoot close 

 enough to suit you let me know. ' ' 



The gun was a single-barrelled muzzle-loader, built 

 by Tonks for pigeon-match shooting, scant 10 gauge, 

 32 inches in length of barrel, and weighed a little over 

 9 pounds. I took it with me, and next day gave it a trial. 

 At the first shot, using the charge above mentioned, I 

 struck the target, 1 ft. square, at 40 yards, with sixty- 

 eight pellets ; at the second shot seventy -three, and at 

 the third seventy-six. There were but 151 pellets to 

 the load by actual count. I next tried a load of B's, 



