THE WIRE-CARTRIDGE. 345 



classes of wire-cartridges, which the patentees have 

 named the battue, the blue, the red, and the green ; 

 each intended for a different range. There is some 

 little difference in the construction of each of the 

 three kinds ; the meshes of the frame-work are 

 larger in the battue and the blue, than in the red, 

 and in the red than in the green, and there are 

 doubtless other differences not perceptible to the un- 

 initiated. The battue and the blue cartridges are 

 intended for general use ; the battue for the shortest 

 distance ; the blues will kill several yards further 

 than loose shot of the same size, and, of the four 

 kinds, are, in our opinion, decidedly to be pre- 

 ferred ; each blue cartridge being thrown more 

 nearly alike, they are more certain in their opera- 

 tion than the red and the green, which are in- 

 tended for longer distances. The red may be 

 serviceable in open places, when game is wild, and 

 the shooter is provided with a gun of not less than 

 fourteen gauge, or with a very short barrel, which 

 does not throw its shot very strongly. The green 

 cartridges are intended chiefly for wild-fowl shoot- 

 ing ; these should be used in barrels of not less 

 than twelve gauge. The red and green cartridges 

 retain the shot in the case longer than the others, 

 and are carried with an astonishing force to an in- 

 credible distance, and at the same time very closely. 

 The red may generally be trusted for long distances, 

 especially from /barrels of large calibre ; but at 

 short distances the smallness of the circle they 

 describe renders them objectionable. The green 

 cartridges should never be used for shooting game. 



