SPORTS AND GAMES 469 



in damp soil-. It remains to be seen whether, the cause being known, the disease can be 

 checked with certainty. 



Some progress has also been made in the study of the parasitic diseases of pheasants, 

 especially coccidiosis, which often ravages _the rearing-grounds. Experiments have been 

 tried in the administration of drugs by which the coccidia are apparently to some extent 

 repressed and the young pheasants are fortified and made sufficiently resistant to survive the 

 attacks. If further trial confirm these expedients one of the chief difficulties in the artificial 

 rearing of pheasants will be coasiderably diminished. 



Rifle Shooting, etc. To a considerable extent the shooting competitions at the 

 Olympic festival at Stockholm were dominated by the conditions, which were more 

 favourable to some of the national teams than to others. In the military rifle shooting 

 the United States team took the first place. They not only possessed the best weapon, 

 but were the only team to use aperture sights. Great Britain was placed second and 

 Sweden third. The team shooting with any rifle was at the 360 metres range, and 

 this produced the result that Sweden, Norway and Denmark occupied in this order the 

 leading places. However Paul Colas (France) took the gold medals for the individual 

 score both in the 600 metres military rifle and the 300 metres any rifle competition. 

 The 300 metres military rifle individual competition was won by A. Prokopp, Hungary. 

 In the miniature rifle matches no range of more than 50 metres was employed. At this 

 range the United Kingdom team of four were first with a total of 762 out of a possible 

 800, P. J. Lessimore making the fine score of 192. Sweden won the 25 metres disappear- 

 ing target competition, with the United Kingdom only "8 points behind. The'individual 

 prizes fell to F. W. Hird, U.S.A., in the 50 metres, and Lieut.- Garlberg, Sweden, in the 

 25 metres. The United States carried off the honours in the pistol and revolver shoot- 

 ing, winning the 50 yards team and individual contests. A. P. Lane took two gold 

 medals, the second being in the duelling matches, in which Sweden was first in the team 

 event. Sweden swept the board, in. the running deer competitions. The standardisa- 

 tion of rules is an essential preliminary if international contests are to be a perfect test. 



At Bisley the chief trophy for the military rifle, the King's prize, was carried off in 1911 

 by Private W. J. Clifford, with a total score of. 319: in 1912 the winner was A. G. Fulton, 

 the son of a previous victor, and, although but 24 years of age a marksman of great experience 

 in important matches, having gained a place in representative British teams and regularly 

 made his way into the last hundred for the prize which heat last secured. Mr. M. Blood took 

 the grand aggregate (Hopton Challenge Cup) in 1911: in 1912 it was captured by Corporal 

 Mortimer (Canada) by the aid of the .280 Ross rifle, a remarkable weapon produced by a 

 Canadian factory under the initiative of a well-known Scottish landowner. 



Clay Bird and Pigeon Shooting. The rules at Stockholm were not adverse to the 

 chances of the British team, except in so far as the permission of a heavy shot charge may 

 have handicapped competitors unable to use it. :They were beaten for the first place 

 by the United States team, but J. R. Graham, one of the members, made the best 

 individual score of 96 birds out of 100. The shooting was of a very high standard. 



The Clay Bird Shooting Association champion is W. Ellicott, who is also well known for 

 his skill with the rifle at the running deer range, and is probably both with gun and rifle the 

 best all-round shot in the United Kingdom. In 1911 A. Maunder, who had twice previously 

 held the championship, regained it with a score of 34 points out of a possible 35. The 

 Pigeon Shooting Grand Prix du Casino at Monte Carlo fell to an Englishman, F. Moore of 

 Newmarket, in 1911 after a most exciting contest: in 1912 M. Des Chaux was the winner. 



Skating. 



The winter of 1910-1 1 was unfavourable to skating throughout Europe. ' In England 

 it was impossible to hold any of the speed championships. But it saw a notable exten- 

 sion of artificial ice facilities in the opening of the Manchester Ice Palace, with a skating 

 surface of 100 ft. by 140 ft., enabling the National Skating Association to revive the 

 championships in the English style of figure skating, abandoned since 1004. Ice 

 palaces have since been opened in Edinburgh and Aberdeen. 



The international style of figure skating continues to make progress on the continent 

 of Europe, especially in Germany and among English visitors to the Engadine and 

 habitues of artificial rinks. A short but hard frost in February 1912 allowed the English 



