792 



The Shot- Gun. 



again, bring the gun, with a lateral motion, ahead of the bird, and 

 keep the gun moving till their experience decides the proper distance 

 ahead of its flight, and then fire while the gun is keeping its previous 

 regular angular velocity. 



For the simple illustration of the bearing of these experiments on 

 the art of shooting on the wing, I will suppose that, at the moment 

 of fire, the gun is stationary ; in other words, that we are firing 

 "snap shots." If the bird has a velocity across the line of sight of 

 30 miles an hour {i. e., 44 ft. per sec), and we are using charges 

 in a 12-gauge gun of $% drs. of Curtis & Harvey powder and 

 1 y& oz. of shot, we shall have to shoot about 5 feet ahead of the 

 bird if it is flying at a distance of 30 yards ; at 7 feet ahead, if at a 

 distance of 40 yards, and 1 1 feet ahead of the bird, if at a distance 

 of 50 yards. 



These distances ahead, for cross-shots at birds flying at the rate 

 of 30 miles an hour, may appear out of all reason with the experi- 

 ences of many sportsmen ; but a few simple experiments will con- 

 vince them that they generally hold farther ahead of a cross-flying 

 bird than they are aware. In the grass of a level field drive two 

 twigs, far removed from fence-rails or any familiar object with which 

 can be compared the distance separating the twigs ; then bring your 

 friend up to 40 yards distance of the twigs and ask him if he would 

 hold ahead, by the distance separating the twigs, at a cross-flying 

 duck going over the twigs. He will, in all probability, tell you, 

 "Certainly, the twigs are only about 18 inches apart." Similar 

 experiments made with rough sticks and branches suspended in the 

 air at various distances have convinced me that it is very difficult to 

 judge accurately of the actual distance you hold ahead of birds, 

 especially when they are flying over water or in the open. 



On the Form of the Charge of Shot Discharged from a 

 Gun. — Does the shot discharged from a gun progress through the 

 air in the form of a cylinder, a sphere, or in the shape of a spindle ? 

 We have made experiments which show that the cloud of shot as it 

 passes through the air changes its shape as it goes from the muzzle 

 to a distance, and that its general form is Ggg or spindle shaped. 

 We regret that the experiments on this interesting and quite im- 

 portant subject of investigation have not been brought to the com- 



