BOB WHITE. 163 



device of Eastern royalty, asked the sculptor if he would 

 take it as a fee for carving a statue of the dog. The 

 great man scornfully replied that he would not degrade 

 his genius to perpetuate the memory of a beast. The 

 visitor then told his tale. It was of kingly birth and 

 wealth, of rebellion and bitter treachery. He told how 

 his subjects had revolted, his friends had betrayed, and 

 even the wife of his bosom had deserted him, but how, 

 through all, the faithful dog stood by his master; and he 

 closed his pathetic appeal with these words: 



" Ay! stranger, but a dog, a beast; 

 But of all earth's creatures not the least." 



The sculptor bowed his head, and made due apology. 

 He declined to take the jewel, but in his city, for many 

 centuries, could be seen the choicest product of his 

 chisel a faithful likeness of the noble dog. 



In selecting a gun, I would use the advice of Polonius 

 to his son about dress. Let it be as "costly as your 

 purse can buy," with justice to your other wants and 

 necessities; adapt it, also, to your strength and skill. No 

 gun for field-shooting should weigh over eight pounds, 

 and from that down to five and a half, according to the 

 gauge. I would earnestly recommend the hammerless, 

 on the ground of both convenience and safety. During 

 one hunting-season, I noticed all the various accounts of 

 hunters who were injured by the accidental discharge of 

 guns, and where sufficient particulars were given, it was 

 evident that fully three-fourths of such accidents would 

 not have happened had the gun been a hammerless. If 

 you can afford but one gun, and shoot wild fowl to any 

 great extent, you may find it necessary to use a ten-gauge 

 gun on Bob Whites, but don't put your duck charges in 

 it. It is not giving the little fellows a fair show. Re- 

 duce your ammunition somewhat, shoot in a sportsman- 

 like manner, and don't permit some unreasonable bigot 



