176 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



" A youth named Herbert Wood, twelve years of age, met with 

 a gun accident, whilst shooting rabbits, on Christmas Day, at 

 Riddell's Creek. The injuries were of such a serious nature that 

 the medical attendants at the hospital thought the unfortunate 

 youth might have to submit to a surgical operation." 



" A youth named Albert Bettens and a companion went to 

 Lancefield Junction to shoot. The companion took aim, as he 

 thought, at ' the game,' with the result, however, that the con- 

 tents of the weapon entered Bettens's leg. The sufferer was 

 taken to the Melbourne Hospital, and a large quantity of shot 

 extracted from his limb." 



" A youth named Alexander Brown was treated at the Mel- 

 bourne Hospital on Saturday, suffering from a gunshot wound in 

 the face. He and two companions were shooting at South 

 Marong, when the gun carried by Brown accidentally exploded. 

 Part of the charge lodged in his face, seriously injuring the right 

 eye." 



On my last excursion I came across a party of four or five 

 boys with guns. It was Sunday, by the way. I asked them what 

 they intended to shoot? "Oh, anything!" was the prompt 

 reply. I had the curiosity to measure the smallest. He was 

 only a few inches taller than the ramrod of the gun he carried. 

 Now, if parents exhibit no better sense than this, it is high time 

 legislation (grandmotherly let it be) should step in ; and no 

 youth, in the best interests of his own life, should be permitted 

 to carry a gun under the age of, say, i6. 



Of course, it is only the principles of a gun tax we would 

 affirm here. Many other details might be gone into — the swivel 

 gun, for instance. Legislation has failed to suppress that nuisance. 

 It should be made an illegal act for any person to import or 

 manufacture in the colony a punt gun or any such destroying 

 instrument. 



It may be of interest to know that the Cinderella of the 

 Australian colonies, as Western Australia is called, is the only 

 colony that has a gun tax, secured by " The Gun License Act, 

 1885." That measure, however, is only partial in its operations. 



At present it is difficult to estimate the number of guns that 

 could be taxed in this colony, but with a nominal annual fee of 

 5s., I daresay the amount of additional revenue would not be 

 less than ;^2o,ooo. There need be no extra cost for collection ; 

 the police or other Government officials now in existence could 

 collect it. Perhaps the police would be better, because they 

 would be in touch with every person who carried a gun in their 

 respective districts. 



