254 FIELD SHOOTING. 



very light. In a gun of more weight the capa- 

 city of shooting strong charges with ease and 

 comfort, and of killing more game, altogether out- 

 weighs the carrying of an extra pound or pound 

 and a half. Boys, it is true, must have light 

 guns, and there are very nice, safe, good-shoot- 

 ing guns made for boys. In choosing one for your 

 son or nephew, however, do not choose a light 

 gun of those made for boys. It is not to be a 

 sort of handsome toy-gun, but a serviceable arti- 

 cle, such as will inspire the boy with the confi- 

 dence which begets success and leads to skill, by 

 hitting and killing whenever it is held right. The 

 light single-barrelled guns made for boys do not 

 amount to much. It will be better, in buying a 

 gun for a youth who has not had one before, to 

 pay more money and purchase a breech-loader, sin- 

 gle-barrel if he is young and not strong, but a 

 double-barrel if he is fifteen years old and fairly 

 robust. Generally the height of the youth is not 

 to be taken into account in this matter. Many 

 boys who are not tall for their age have more 

 strength and endurance than those who are. A 

 breech-loader is much more easily loaded and a 

 great deal safer than a muzzle-loader, as regards 

 accidents, in the hands of either man or boy. 



