CH. XXVII. CARTRIDGES. 125 



ones. Swans and geese require No. 1 or No. 2, as 

 smaller shot seldom breaks a wing of these birds ; 

 but cartridges are the most effective, and then you 

 may use No. 3 at single geese with tolerable cer- 

 tainty. Eley's cartridges, with large shot, such as 

 B.B. or S.S.G-., in them, sometimes kill at prodigious 

 distances, but are very apt to "ball" completely, and 

 deceive the shooter. Indeed, all the green cart- 

 ridges have this defect ; owing to which the bird 

 is either missed entirely or blown to pieces. 

 Several good shots of my acquaintance can never 

 succeed well with wire-cartridges : they certainly 

 require a different style of shooting from loose 

 shot, as they not only shoot slower, but also are 

 very much inclined to throw the shot low ; and 

 in order to use cartridges with success these two 

 facts should be constantly borne in mind. 



I find that the "yellow cartridge" which is 

 made without any wire, answers extremely well for 

 grouse-shooting, or when common game is wild, as 

 they keep the shot close together, but without 

 balling to any great extent. They are very 

 excellent too for rabbits, who generally require all 

 the shot which the sportsman can give them. Late 

 in the season, hares certainly ought not to be shot 

 at with a size under No. 4 : smaller shot will not 

 break their bones sufficiently to stop them at once, 



