aS The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 



the country wherein every incident occurs, Ceylon 

 scenery being so diversified that no general description 

 could give a correct idea of Ceylon sports. 



The guns are the first consideration. After the first 

 year of my experience 1 had four rifles made to order, 

 which have proved themselves perfect weapons in all 

 respects, and exactly adapted for heavy game. They are 

 double-barreled, No. 10 bores, and of such power in 

 metal that they weigh fifteen pounds each. I consider 

 them perfection ; but should others considef them too 

 heavy, a pound taken from the weight of the barrels 

 would make a perceptible difference. I would in all 

 cases strongly deprecate the two-grooved rifle for wild 

 sports, on account of the difficulty in loading quickly. 

 A No. 10 twelve-grooved rifle will carry a conical ball 

 of two ounces and a half, and can be loaded as quickly 

 as a smooth-bore. Some persons prefer the latter to 

 rifles for elephant-shooting, but I cannot myself under- 

 stand why a decidedly imperfect weapon should be 

 used when the rifle offers such superior advantages. At 

 twenty and even thirty paces a good smooth-bore will 

 carry a ball with nearly the same precision as a rifle ; 

 but in a country full of various large game, there is no 

 certainty, when the ball is rammed down, at what ob- 

 ject it is to be aimed. A buffalo or deer may cross 

 the path at a hundred yards, and the smooth-bore is 

 useless ; on the other hand, the rifle is always ready 

 for whatever may appear. 



My battery consists of one four-ounce rifle (a single 

 barrel) weighing twenty-one pounds, one long two- 

 ounce rifle (single barrel) weighing sixteen pounds, 

 and four double-barreled rifles, No. 10, weighing each 



