DEER-STALKING RIFLES 377 



Messrs. Holland and Holland have lately brought out 

 a rifle which they have named the ' Little Wonder ;' 

 and this rifle weighs barely seven and a quarter 

 pounds ; the barrel is only twenty inches in length, 

 and it is altogether the handiest rifle I have ever used. 



There are many various sights which are recom- 

 mended by gunmakers ; but practical experience has 

 proved to the majority of the older sportsmen that 

 there is nothing better than the thick V-shaped sight, 

 sighted for loo yards; when shooting at any distances 

 under that, a finer sight must be taken. For shots of 

 from 30 to 60 yards, the fore-sight must be aligned 

 under the heart, if the deer is standing broadside on, 

 but of course a fuller or finer sight must be taken 

 according to the distance. A full-sight at 100 yards, 

 will serve for 125 yards distance; indeed, many makers, 

 such as Messrs. Henry, Holland and Holland, Rigby, 

 and Charles Lancaster, construct the oval-bore express 

 rifles so as to admit of their being used at all dis- 

 tances, from 50 to 200 yards, with the one sight. 



It is advisable to have sights which are removable, 

 ior at times the light in some woods is so bad that it 

 is difficult to see the enamel, platina, or whatever such 

 kind of material may be used for the sight. Ivory is 

 the best for such occasions ; and if kept in the box 

 made for it, and which is made to fit into the heel- 

 plate of the rifle, it will keep white for years. I 

 always kept a supply of such sights in a waterproof 

 tissue-paper, which prevented air, wet,- or any oil soil- 

 ing the whiteness of the ivory. Some people have 

 tried the effects of luminous paint, but the result has 

 been indifferent as compared to ivory sights well kept. 

 Bar-sights are not suited for quick shooting at deer ; 



