206 ON THE WING. 



on the crossbow suggested the application of a similar 

 arrangement to the gun, and the weapons thus im- 

 proved were called " matchlocks." Ignition was se- 

 cured by moving a lighted match to the pan containing 

 the priming powder. Subsequently the Dutch invented 

 an apparatus for striking fire by the friction of a little 

 wheel of steel against a piece of iron pyrites, causing 

 a spark to ignite the powder. Both of these devices 

 for discharging the gun were cumbersome, as well as 

 fatal to any precision in the use of the weapon. The 

 next improvement in order was the invention of the 

 flint-lock, which was introduced in the time of Eliza- 

 beth. This invention made the gun a very serviceable 

 weapon, and for a long period no important improve- 

 ment was made in its construction. In 1807 Rev. 

 Mr. Forsyth invented the percussion-lock, which, with 

 various modifications and improvements, has come into 

 general use. 



The double-barrelled shot-gun, when first constructed, 

 was made with the barrels placed one above the other. 

 These were arranged so as to revolve, and present the 

 percussion to the hammer of the lock. This arrange- 

 ment, however, made the gun unwieldy, and the next 

 step consisted in attaching a lock to each barrel. 

 The placing of the barrels side by side, as at present, 

 followed this arrangement ; and I think we may con- 

 sider that the end of improvements, so far as the po- 

 sition of the barrels is concerned, has been reached. 



This matter of placing the barrels is a question that 

 has received a great deal of attention from gun man- 

 ufacturers, and the principles that underlie the present 



