THE RAIL. 225 



having risen to a sufficient height to allow the passage of the boat 

 through or over the reeds, the shooter places himself in the bow 

 of the little craft, surrounded by all the necessary paraphernalia 

 for loading with expedition and safety, and, being ever on the qui 

 vive, knocks the poor birds down right and left as they rise a few- 

 yards before the boat as it gently glides among the reeds. 



It is better to have two double-barrelled guns; for when the 

 birds get up lively it will be necessary to load and fire so rapidly 

 that the gun will soon become too hot to handle or charge 

 without danger, and the chambers and barrels will get so clogged 

 with powder and leaded with shot that it will be almost impossible 

 to load with the necessary expedition. It will also be proper to 

 provide yourself with a good, stout ramrod, which can be handled 

 with facility and thrown down anywhere in the boat without fear 

 of being broken. To prevent accidents and insure despatch in 

 loading — upon which latter circumstance the grand result of the 

 day's sport almost entirely depends, even with a moderately good 

 shot — it is absolutely necessary to be provided with shot-cartridges, 

 which, together with the caps and powder, may be placed in a handy 

 box, and set on the bow of the boat, directly in front. The kind 

 of box we generally make use of is made of tin, about twelve 

 inches in length, six in width, and five in depth ; it is divided into 

 two equal compartments, — one for powder, and the other for shot 

 or cartridges ; and the latter apartment has a small shelf or divi- 

 sion at one end of it, sufficiently large to hold a quantity of caps 

 or cut wads. If cartridges are used, there will be no occasion for 

 wads ; and, as we employ them altogether when shooting rails, we 

 have no division in our box for holding wads. The box should 

 be made of good, stout tin, well soldered together, with a cover 

 or lid sufficiently large to close up either apartment, and so made 

 that when thrown from the powder it will fall over and cover up 

 the shot or cartridges, and when the shot is exposed to vHw the 

 powder will necessarily be covered up, and thus prevent accidents, 

 and the provoking consequences arising from the small seeds, stems, 



and dirt falling into the powder, when the boat is being propelled 



15 



