DUCK-SHOOTING. 239 



"Heavy shot will make a gun recoil painfully; 

 but if the shot is light the charge of powder may 

 be large without producing unpleasant effects ; the 

 shot will be driven quick and strong, and the bird 

 deprived of life instantaneously. Perhaps the pellets 

 are not driven through the body, but the blow is 

 severer and the shock is more stunning. I use one 

 ounce of shot and three drachms of powder, and 

 would prefer to increase rather than diminish the 

 powder. It is a mistake to suppose powder does 

 not burn because black particles fall to the ground 

 if it is fired over snow or white paper ; these, I take 

 it, are flakes of charcoal and not powder, and some 

 will fall, no matter how light may be the load." 



" For my part," persisted the unlucky man, " I 

 think the crippling of birds arises from our inability 

 to judge distances, and from our firing at birds out 

 of reasonable range. The patent breech was meant 

 to remedy the necessity for such heavy charges of 

 powder as are used in the old-fashioned flint-locks. 

 Johnston, the author of an admirable treatise on 

 shooting, which is now out of print, is my authority, 

 and he says that an over-charge of powder makes a 

 gun scatter prodigiously without adding proportion- 

 ately to the force." 



" That depends upon the character of the bore," 

 answered the Secretary ; " if it is relieved at the 

 breech, and after narrowing above, made a perfect 

 cylinder towards the muzzle, the more the powder 

 the better it will shoot." 



Seeing that an interminable discussion was about 



