234 THE SHOOTER'S GUIDE. 



the twenty-five times took place in one day: for 

 most assuredly it is advisable to clean the fowling- 

 piece on returning home, though it may have been 

 iired but once. If a gun has proper attention paid 

 to it in this respect, and care taken to load it as it 

 owght to be, bursting will very rarely, if ever, happen. 

 It is, in fact, from these two causes that all bursting 

 of guns arises, supposing such guns have been pro- 

 perly proved. 



From these observations, it will easily be per- 

 ceived that the double-barrelled fowling-piece is 

 much more dangerous than the single-barrelled one. 

 I would therefore advise those sportsmen who make 

 use of double guns, in the first place, not to be afraid 

 of carrying an extra pound or two in order to render 

 the barrels stronger: and I can assure the reader 

 this method I have adopted myself: for my double 

 barrel is considerably heavier than those commonly 

 made use of. But, as has been before observed, the 

 danger of barrels bursting with proper management 

 is trifling, compared to that which attends leaving 

 one carelessly cocked. I would therefore wish to 

 impress on the mind of the sportsman the very strong 

 necessity of uncommon care in this respect. When- 

 ever the gun has been taken from the position in 

 which it is carried, with intention to fire, and one 

 (or perhaps both) the barrels not discharged, the 

 sportsman should make it a rule, on these occasions, 

 to observe, whether by any means he has left the 

 other cocked. Always, after getting through a hedge 



