Sporting Notes in the Far East. 29 



weed : nothing is easier than to get " hung up " by the leg ; and 

 if you are, and alone, the chances stand that you will assuredly 

 drown. 



This note is based on the nearly fatal experiences of a sports- 

 man at Olga Bay, Russian Tartary. 



He went after a duck that fell dead into a creek, and in 

 returning, got one leg firmly entangled in a weed ; and although a 

 strong and capital swimmer, and being within two yards of the 

 bank ; it was many minutes before, utterly exhausted, he was able 

 to drag himself out. 



I am not going to enter deeply into technicalities about guns, 

 cartridges c. : but I should always have a brace of 12 bores, in 

 case any accident happened to one gun ; .ijood strong serviceable 

 weapons, that will stand a lot of knocking about. Perhaps some 

 of my readers will smile at my humble suggestion of having two 

 guns. But my proposals are made more for sportsmen of limited 

 income, who cannot easily afford that extensive apparatus, that 

 the writers of some well known books on shooting, think 

 necessary and rightly too. 



As a big shoulder gun for geese, and duck, I would recommend 

 a single 8 bore, in preference to a double 4, or 8 bore. A single 

 8 bore with great killing power, can be bought of a weight not 

 exceeding eight and a half, or nine pounds ; which will enable 

 you to use it against a single bird of any kind, even to a snipe : as 



