228 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LI. No. 1314 



partly torn off in the passage of the projectile 

 through the gun. Experiments were then 

 begun in modifying the band. These modifi- 

 cations consisted of machining off the lip as in 

 Fig. 3. The results were very gratifying. 

 The 8-inch howitzer projectile had its range 

 increased by 700 meters and its dispersion 



decreased in the ratio of 4 to 1, while the 

 6-inch shell at a muzzle velocity of 2,600 feet 

 per second and elevation of 45° had its range 

 increased from about 12,000 to about 16,000 

 yards, and its dispersion was divided by four. 

 A number of experiments of this kind were 

 carried on at Aberdeen, chiefly by Major 



Pig. 4. 



