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made cartridge, he can kill most birds he fires at which are within 

 range, made and provided he fires straight after them if they are 

 flying from him, or sufficiently before them if they are coming towards 

 or crossing him. 



I have a gun which I bought twenty years ago from Messrs. J. and 

 W. Rigby, and I have shot with it ever since. It is of their then 

 very best make, is of the celebrated old " Damascus twist," and is a 

 pinfire, with old-fashioned hammers, andjl2-bore. The gun " fitted " 

 me when I bought it and has continued to do so, but when I began 

 to use it, as Soapey Sponge said to Joggleberry, although I made 

 good shooting, I made bad hitting. Guessing that the charge was 

 wrong, I practised at a target, 6in. long by Sin. wide, made of sheets 

 of brown paper. I fired just as I would at a bird ; /.c, looking at it, 

 putting up the gun quickly, and firing the moment it touched my 

 shoulder, keeping both eyes open. I found I generally missed, just 

 as I had done the birds. 



I don't know whether it was my own fault for not having shot 

 straight, or the gun's for having jumped or recoiled or done both. 

 Anyhow, I changed the charge, and with marked eflfect, for I began 

 to hit the target. I continued altering both powder and shot 

 until at last I found myself "on the spot" every time. The sheets 

 of paper pierced showed me that the strength was sufficient to bring 

 down a wild goose at the distance, so I left off satisfied with my gun 

 and my hitting, and so I have remained ever since. 



I should mention that the distances I practised at were twenty-five, 

 forty and fifty yards, and I experimentalised with No. 8, 6, and 4 

 shot. The charge which I find suits my gun and myself is 3 dr. coarse 

 grain " Battle Powder" with l^oz. of shot — a thick felt wad over the 

 powder and a thin one over the shot, the former rammed tight, the 

 latter not. 



Perhaps some young gentlemen whom I have seen out shooting, 

 and a few old ones too, might put more birds into the bag than they 

 do if they tried similar experiments with their fire-irons, instead of 

 reading scientific discourses on the subject, which at times tend more 

 to muddle than to clear their vision. 



However, unless a man has an eye naturally adapted to shooting 

 straight, neither the gun or its charge, nor yet instruction or practice, 

 will make him a good shot. 



I win now give a " tip," and it is not a bad one. As everyone 

 knows, the more a man drinks, even though it be water, during exercise 

 the more he perspires, the more he wants to drink, and if he continues 

 to drink he becomes incapable of hard work. At times, however, a man 

 must assuage his thirst and then his best plan is to wash his face and 

 hands in a stream or well, then rinse out his mouth, and finally dip his 

 face in and take a great gulp, which, however, he must stop before it gets 

 past the uvula. This answers all the purposes of a big drink, is mani- 

 festly cool and refreshing, and in no way will it impede the walking 

 powers. 



