LOADING THE GUN. 29 



well entered into any bird, the quicker he dies. When 

 the shot enters the bird, the skin closes over the cav- 

 ity, the bleeding is stopped, and the blood stagnates 

 immediately. But when wounded with large shot, if 

 the bird bleeds well, he will often hide and recover ; 

 or if he eventually die, he will not come to bag. This 

 is especially the case in duck-shooting. Most sports- 

 men, and particularly novices, are disposed to use too 

 many shot. This tendency should be guarded against. 

 In a 14 gauge gun, 1^ or 2 ounces of shot can never 

 be so efficient as i£ ounces, because the charge rides 

 in so many layers as to affect materially the shoot- 

 ing. Any one may convince himself of this fact 

 by putting the large charge into a glass tube or vial 

 of the same gauge as his gun. Having given much 

 attention to the proper proportions of powder and 

 shot, I have come to the conclusion that most sports- 

 men load too heavily. If too much powder be used, 

 the tendency is to scatter the shot ; if too much shot, 

 the force is weakened, and a heavy recoil is felt. It 

 is the shot that makes the recoil. Five drachms of 

 powder and one ounce of shot will make less recoil 

 than $2 drachms of powder and ij- ounces of shot. 



Here let me correct the erroneous notion, common 

 to young sportsmen, that a double quantity of powder 

 and shot will kill game at twice the ordinary distance ; 

 or that an extra quantity of loading will in some way 

 or other increase pro rata the chances of success. 

 This current fallacy is in its simplicity similar to that 

 entertained by the old hunter in the age of flint-locks. 

 Having had a good chance at a large flock of wild 



