22 ON THE WING. 



work ; but either will probably last as long as the 

 owner desires, and either will be safe and satisfac- 

 tory. 



When held to the shoulder, the gun should balance 

 itself from the natural position in the left hand. The 

 muzzle should incline to tip up, rather than down, 

 for a gun that is muzzle-heavy soon becomes tiresome 

 to lift. A thin muzzle is considered preferable to a 

 thick one, as the hunter does not wish to carry about 

 a superfluous weight of iron. 



In selecting a gun, get a good fair breadth of barrels 

 at the breech. Be particular to have the ramrod 

 thimbles large. I never saw one too large, and in 

 light guns few are large enough. Of all things the 

 most desirable in using a gun is a large, substantial 

 loading-rod, made from well-seasoned hickory, white 

 oak, or beef-wood, — the latter is preferable, — with a 

 large wormer attached. Let the rod be as long as 

 possible without weakening the stock, so that by the 

 wormer you can recover any substance in the cham- 

 bers. I would recommend a small or medium-sized 

 rib between the barrels, as a large rib makes the gun 

 look heavy and out of proportion. Also the false 

 breech of the gun should be made a little elevated, so 

 that in forty-yards' shooting the shot will hold up 

 well to the sight of the gun. If the breech be too 

 low, in shooting at that distance at point-blank the 

 centre of the charge of shot will fall from four to six 

 inches below {he mark. 



I prefer an English black-walnut stock, as it is 

 generally lighter than the American wood, and finer 



