AND AMERICAN RURAL SPORTS. 



ir 



in a continuance of their visits, I believe the sum of con- 

 finement to the sick room, as well as the amount of medi- 

 cal expenditures, would be materially diminished. 



So soon as the inflammatory stage has passed by, and that 

 weak, irritable state of the system which follows almost 

 every case, comes on, then is the time to forsake the 

 "charms of medicine" and the luxury of the doctor's 

 •presence, and seek in fresh air and exercise that invigo- 

 rating principle of health, that would be in the confined 

 chamber like the mirage of the desert, 



"A splendid phantom, 

 The child of hope, but leading to despair." 



If citizens who are closely confined for most part of the 

 day, instead of contenting themselves with a quiet ride on 

 horseback, would " shoulder their guns and march away" 

 occasionally, even for a few hours, it would produce a 

 renovation of strength as well as spirits for business, that 

 would counterbalance, even in its pecuniary results, for 

 all their abstractions from the cares of life, and the addi- 

 tion to their stock of healthy, pleasant, bodily feelings, 

 would contribute vastly to the aggregate of their earthly 

 happiness. 



Manjr persons are deterred from exposure to the air and 

 moisture of swamps and marshes, from a fear of fevers. It 

 has long been known to physicians, that certain causes will 

 produce disease, when acting on a system enfeebled by 

 fatigue and abstinence, that would have passed innocuous 

 under other circumstances; and it is also well ascertained, 

 that the immediate efl'ect of this debility is in the stomach. 

 The stomach is also supposed the organ which is operated on 

 by causes that produce fever, and hence the medical pro- 

 verb, that the stomach is like a schoolboy, when unem- 

 ployed it is generally in mischief Here then, is the 

 great charm of avoiding disease from exposure, keep the 

 stomach busy, not by stii7iuli, for the debility is thus 

 increased, but hy food slightly stimulating, as gingerbread, 

 &c. The writer of this article has had the benefit of some 

 personal experience on this subject, as well as extensive 

 observation in others, and he is well assured that few of 

 the fevers and colds that follow exposure, would occur, 

 if care was taken to keep this great centre of the system 

 well occupied. 



Persons starting on an expedition for sporting, often 

 leave home in a hurry, and without laying in a sufficient 

 stock of provender, and hence, hunt for hours on an empty 

 stomach. Such persons soon fail in their exertions, and 

 return home with headach, nausea, and exhaustion, and in 

 many instances with the seeds of maladies that " ripen unto 

 death." 



All the pleasures of this world may be made with proper 

 E 



precaution, useful to our being, and become, by abuse, 

 curses to our very nature; and in the high and mighty 

 pleasure now before us, whether in the mild, subdued and 

 feminine search after 



" The glistening ornaments of the watery world," 



or in the noble and gentlemanly enjoyment of the "deto- 

 nating sport," the effects are unrivalled in the production 

 of that happy state of mind and healthy condition of body, 

 that can alone give melody to life and make us realize in 

 this world 



"AH the luxury of a poet's dream." 



I. T. S. 



THE CHOICE OF GUNS, 



ADAPTED POE COMMON FIELD AMUSEMENTS. 



Observations on the choice of guns best adapted for 

 sporting purposes, and remarks relative to their manufac- 

 ture, by an old sportsman, well acquainted with the amuse- 

 ments of the field, and the work shops of Europe. 



On the Choice of Guns. — The quality of a Gun depends 

 on a variety of circumstances, and perfection in all the 

 parts is seldom to be found, but as the barrels are of the 

 greatest consequence, we shall treat of them first. The 

 size of the calibre, and the length, must depend on the 

 game it is chiefly intended for. From two feet six, to two 

 feet eight inches in length, with a calibre of eleven six- 

 teenths or three quarters of an inch, is the size best adapted 

 for grous, pheasants, rabbits, quails, and all such game as 

 may be conveniently bagged, the weight should be from 

 seven to eight pounds. If it be heavier it cannot be car- 

 ried conveniently, nor the sportsman so well prepared for 

 the contingencies of hunting, and consequently, game 

 which rises unexpectedly, generally escapes before the Gun 

 can be brought to bear on it, especially in cover, of which 

 the pheasant and several other species of game instinctively 

 avail themselves, frequently rising behind a tree or bush, and 

 then flying off in a direct line, and thus eluding the keenest 

 sportsman. The author of this essay had long entertained 

 the belief, that a Gun of weight and capacity, was the best 

 calculated to insure a well-filled bag, but a few years of 

 experience convinced him of the error of his opinions. 

 He made experiments alternately with light and heavy 

 Guns, and compared the amount of game killed with each, 

 and always found that he was most successful with the 

 lighter Gun, and accounts for it as follows: — The heavy 

 Gun was carried on his shoulder or in some other resting 

 position, more than half of the day, not at all convenient 



