144 Ifcings of tfoe 1Rofc, IRifle, an& (Bun 



barrelled swivel-gun. This is, I believe, a record for 

 geese, but 1 27 wigeon have been bagged at one shot ; 

 and Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey has frequently killed 

 50 or 60, and sometimes as many as 60 or 70 wigeon 

 at a single discharge. The last-named great sports- 

 man holds the record for a season's wild-fowl shooting 

 viz., 1,500 geese and duck. This feat was accomplished 

 in the hard winter of 1 880-81. It has never been even 

 approached, and I suppose never will be, now that 

 wild-fowl shooting is becoming every year harder to 

 obtain. 



Occasionally the Colonel indulged in some fancy 

 shooting. For example, he has this entry in his 

 Diary : " Made a droll trial of a new-stocked gun. 

 I knocked down in seven shots 6 bats and a moth." 

 And again : " Mr. Cadmore, never having seen a bird 

 killed flying, I took him out to see me fire 10 shots 

 at swifts and swallows, 2 at moorhens, 2 at sparrows, 

 and one at a halfpenny thrown up. I killed every bird 

 and handsomely marked the halfpenny." 



But the most stupendous destruction he ever wrought 

 with a single shot was the following in September, 

 1825: 



" 26tk. Tried some experiments on the lake (accom- 

 panied by Reade, who came to me on purpose) for the 

 amusement of the officers and a large concourse of 

 spectators assembled from all parts, and astonished 

 my lookers-on by some excellent shots at coots, the 

 only fowl upon the pond. Previously to this, by the 

 bye, I turned out at five in the morning after being 

 up till near three in order to storm an enormous 



