254 VARIETIES OF SHOT-GUNS, ETC. 



built may be obtained. At the same time, I confess that if 

 I were offered my choice, regardless of price, I should select 

 a gun of Mr. Purdey's make, believing that he is supremely 

 careful that every part is of the very best quality, and that 

 the workmanship is the best which can be obtained by money 

 or care. I have reason to believe also that all his guns 

 are actually tried at brown-paper targets, those only being 

 passed which perform to his satisfaction. But though I 

 thus place them at the head of the list, I would not give 

 51. more for a gun of his make than for one built by Pape of 

 Newcastle, or Dougall of Glasgow, or Henry of Edinburgh, 

 or O. Smith of Derby, all of whom turn out guns which 

 handle well, look well, and perform well, and who charge from 

 351. to 40 for a double gun in case complete. Prince 

 and Green, Fuller, Jackson, Reilly, and some others in 

 London, may be mentioned as selling excellent guns at about 

 the same price, or perhaps a trifle higher, and among these I 

 would specially call attention to the gun patented by Mr. 

 Prince, of the firm of Prince and Green, on the principle of 

 elevating the left barrel higher than the right, which has 

 been already alluded to at page 223. 



CHAPTER III. 

 BKEECH-LOADING GUNS. 



GENERAL PRINCIPLES THE LEFAUCHEAUX GUN BASTIN's MODIFICATION 

 OF IT THE NEEDLE-GUN OF NEEDHAM LANCASTER^ COMBINATION 

 OF THE TWO COUNT CHATEAUVILLIER's GUN CHOICE OF BREECH- 

 LOADERLOADING OF CARTRIDGES CLEANING. 



GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF CONSTRUCTION. 



It Jias already been mentioned that there are some two or 

 three defects in the muzzle-loader, consisting in slowness and 

 danger of loading, and in the amount of leading, to which 

 it is liable. To obviate these, it has been proposed in 



