MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 369 



of paper wadding, for fear of setting fire to the brushwood, or 

 parched grass, during a drought. 



PATENT WASHER, OR WASHING-ROD. 



The patent washer, with all its various paraphernalia, is a very 

 useful article, and should never be omitted from the sportsman's 

 catalogue. It is not only useful for washing the gun, but may be 

 used often very advantageously in the field for cleaning or rather 

 unloading the barrels which have become clogged up by repeated 

 firing. The instrument to be attached to the washer for loosening 

 the particles of lead adhering to the sides of the barrels is called 

 a brush 7 and, being made of brass wire, or of some other metal 

 softer than that of the gun, it may be used with perfect freedom, 

 without fear of injuring the barrels, as some erroneously suppose, 

 by scratching them. If the sportsman be accompanied to the field 

 by a marker, we would advise by all means to send along with him 

 a patent washing-rod and a wire brush ; in fact, the weight is so 

 trifling, and the inconvenience of carrying the instrument when 

 separated into its three distinct parts is so very inconsiderable, 

 that we would suggest that every shooter who goes out for a regular 

 day's sport should slip one into his pocket, and its opportune ser- 

 vice some time or another will amply repay him for all his trouble. 



POWDER-FLASKS. 



It is useless to spend time in the consideration of all the various 

 kinds of powder-flasks now and formerly in use, but we will merely 

 remark that those made of copper, zinc, or German silver, and so 

 arranged that the portion of powder necessary for a load is entirely 

 cut off when being introduced into the barrel from the mass of 



powder remaining in the flask, are the only kind of instruments 



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