372 lewis's AMERICAN SPORTSMAN. 



SHOT-BAGS OR POUCHES. 



The old style of shot-bag, strung around the neck, with its brass 

 charger attached, is entirely ruled out of the catalogue of sport- 

 ing apparatus, and is now seldom seen, except in the hands of 

 some old-fashioned country sporting friend, who still fondly clings 

 to the antiquated notions and prejudices of his forefathers. This 

 bag has given place to the more convenient and more likely-look- 

 ing leather pouch, which can be stowed away in the pocket, and, 

 though containing several pounds of shot, lies so snugly in its 

 place as scarcely to be felt about the person. The charger at- 

 tached to it is made of brass or steel ; the latter is preferable, and 

 we will explain in a moment our reasons for this preference. The 

 charger attached to the mouth of the pouch has a spring handle to 

 it, which governs the movements of the two small sliding-doors that 

 control the flow of shot from the pouch into the gun, or rather 

 measures out the proper quantity for a load. When this spring is 

 pressed upon and the pouch everted, with the mouth of the charger 

 inserted into the muzzle of the piece, the forward slide is raised up 

 ai I the inner slide is pressed down ; the shot consequently between 

 these two slides enters the gun ; the finger now being raised from 

 the spring or handle, the forward or upper slide resumes its position, 

 and the inner floodgate is open for the egress of the shot when 

 the pouch is everted. 



The construction of this pouch is so simple and well known that 

 we fear lest we have wasted time in the description. What we 

 wished to say in reference to the superiority of the steel charger 

 over the brass one is, however, somewhat connected with this 

 description, and is nothing more nor less than that the brass 

 charger, being made of a much softer metal, is very apt to get out 

 of order from rough usage or from catching in the bushes and 

 briers. We on one occasion were greatly annoyed and incon- 

 venienced by this very accident, and therefore are particular in 

 dwelling upon it. In getting over a fence in somewhat of a hurry, 

 the top of the charger struck against the upper rail, and the 



