4 WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WAYS CIIAI-. 



expand the lead, thus immediately secured within the barrel. The 

 expansion when tired drove the boxwood into the centre of the 

 bullet, which of necessity took the rifling. 



The Boxer bullet superseded the boxwood plug by the use of a 

 piece of burnt clay, which was less expensive and equally serviceable. 



Before breechloaders were invented, we were obliged to fit out 

 a regular battery of four double rifles for such dangerous game as 

 elephants, buffaloes, etc., as the cialay in re-loading was most 

 annoying and might lead to fatal accidents. 



In hot damp climates it became necessary to fire off and clean 

 the entire battery every evening, lest a miss-fire should be the 

 consequence upon the following morning from the condensation of 

 moisture in the nipple during night. This was not only great 

 trouble and a wasteful expenditure of ammunition, but the noise of 

 so many loud reports just at the hour when wild animals were on 

 the move, alarmed the country. Trustworthy gun -carriers are 

 always difficult to procure, and it was by no means uncommon 

 that in moments of danger, when the spare rifles were required, 

 the gun-bearers had bolted from the scene, and the master was 

 deserted. 



The introduction of breechloaders has made shooting a luxury, 

 and has obviated the necessity of a large battery of guns. For 

 military purposes the breechloader has manifold advantages as 

 the soldier can load while lying down, and keep up a rapid fire 

 from a secure cover. It was remarked during the Crimean War 

 that a large proportion of wounded men were struck in the right 

 arm, which would have been raised above the head when loading 

 the old-fashioned rifle, and was thus prominently exposed. 



It is not my intention to enter into the minutia: of military 

 rifles, but I cannot resist the satisfaction with which I regard the 

 triumph of the small-bore which I advocated through the columns 

 of the Times in 1865, at a time when the idea was opposed by 

 nearly all authorities as impracticable, owing to the alleged great 

 drawback of rapid fouling. There can be no doubt that the charge 

 of 70 grains with a small-bore bullet, '303, will have a lower 

 trajectory and higher velocity (equivalent to long range) than the 

 heavier projectile, '450, with the additional advantage of a mini- 

 mum recoil. 



The earliest in the field of progress was the old-established firm 

 of Purdey and Co. Mr. 1'urdey, before the general introduction 

 of breechloaders, brought out an Express rifle, No. 70 bore, with a 

 mechanically fitting two-groove solid bullet. This small projectile 

 was a well-pointed cone weighing exactly 200 grains, with a powder 



