90 



THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY 



the tangential disposition would, of course, place it at I, 

 in the same time. The "Sportsman" must allow, for the 

 sake of liis own argument, that the load must remain a 

 sufficient length of time at the muzzle, to receive all the 

 lateral motion of that part, however inappreciable the in- 

 terval. The contents of the gun, therefore, has received, 

 at the instant of its departure, a certain lateral progression, 

 which there is nothing afterwards to increase, and, at the 

 same time, a forward velocity of, we will say as a data, 

 one hundred j-ards in a second. Whilst the load, there- 

 fore, is passing through this space, the bird has arrived at 

 H, which is exactly in a line with the gun, if it had con- 

 tinued the same rate of swing. We have now two forces 

 to consider, a forward one of one hundred yards in a second, 

 and a side one of ten feet in a second, and as all uninfluenced 

 impulses are in straight lines, a course exactly between the 

 two will be the track of the load, and it will reach G, in 

 a line diagonally drawn from B, to a point in a line with 

 I. If it be thought that my time is extreme, take any 

 proportion of it, and the result is the same. For instance, 

 consider that one-twentieth of a second is required for a 

 ball to pass one hundred yards, take the one-twentieth of 

 eighty-seven feet, as the progress of the bird, and the 

 same proportion of the advance of the gun, and you will 

 have six inches as the arc for the muzzle, and more than 

 four feet for the bird. 



As to the second objection of the " Sportsman," to hear- 

 ing the sound of the shot strike the bird, I do not recol- 

 lect to have ever met with a ducker but who believed that 

 a sound that is distinctly heard immediately after the dis- 

 charge, arose from that cause. When birds, at even a less 

 distance than one hundred yards, are struck, and sufficiently 

 hard to kill instantly, a noise is perceived that can have no 

 other explanation, and I have often closed my eyes to be 

 enabled to determine from this sound alone, the success of 

 the shot. During the sporting of last season, it was a sub- 

 ject of daily conversation with us, and the death of many 

 ducks was successfully predicted by that means alone, and 

 the particular gunner, who struck the bird, was frequently 

 determined, and the fact proven by the examination of 

 the entering pellets, when there was no indication of success, 

 till after all had discharged. ]\Ir. Titian Pcale, than whom 

 there cannot be more experienced or philosophical autho- 

 rit)', has informed me, that when large animals, as buflalo, 

 elk, or deer, are struck by a ball, and death instantly fol- 

 lows, this sound is distinctl}^ heard, though a much less 

 resounding body than feathers is impinged. A ball llred 

 at an object as a board, or even a solid post, at one hundred 

 yards, can be heard to strike, almost uniformly. The 

 " Sportsman" forgets that this sound must return to the 

 ear at a rate of 1142 feet in a second, so that at one hundred 



yards, one-fourth of a second must elapse after the blow, 

 before its report, which, allowing the discharge and effect 

 are simultaneous, which they certainly are not, is suffi- 

 cient to enable this noise to be heard. 



Before closing my remarks on the essay which excited 

 the observations of the " Sportsman," I will express my 

 regret at the errors in composition which are self-apparent 

 in it, the piece having been written in haste, and my 

 engagements preventing a subsequent correction. 



I. T. S. 



ON THE CHOICE OF GUNS. 



Messrs. Editors, 



In my communication of the 19th of October, 1S30, I 

 confined myself to a description of guns adapted princi- 

 pally for field purposes or shooting small game. My object 

 in the present, is to speak of those kinds which are most 

 approved of by the " Stilt S/iootei;"^ whose object is to 

 kill large game, and at a great distance, such as deer, geese, 

 ducks, &c. There is, however, a diversity of opinion re- 

 specting these guns, chiefly growing out of habit, owing 

 to the peculiar notions of many persons, and their mode of 

 hunting. It is notorious, that many a man who has a gun, 

 thinks himself in 7;oMfM/o« of the very best in thetoorld, 

 and his practice confirms him in his opinion, that is, the 

 only one calculated to insure success. With such I am not 

 going to dispute the point, but yield at once to all which 

 they shall insist upon, as undeniable, and true to the very 

 letter. 



In selecting a gun for the purpose of killing deer, turkey, 

 wild ducks, &c. I would recommend one weisrhing from 

 ten to twelve pounds, if single, and twelve to fourteen, if 

 double-barrelled, of seven-eighths calibre, and about three 

 feet three to three feet six inches in length, which is capa- 

 ble of throwing from two to three ounces of shot, of any 

 kind, and which will be found convenient for carrying 

 about. When, however, the object is boat-shooting, a 

 different gun from this, altogether, is required. In the 

 District of Columbia, it is the custom now, to use guns, 

 weighing twenty-five or thirty pounds, of an inch, or an 

 inch and a quarter calibre, from four to five feet in length, 

 carrj-ing from six to eight ounces of shot, and it is even 

 asserted that ten ounces are frequently thrown at once !!! 

 In the winter of 1S27-S, a coloured man had been pro- 

 vided with a small piece of cannon, (it could be called 



* A still shooter is one who remains stationary at some place, and only, 

 shoots when objects pass \\\m, or who hunts without a dog, and steals upon bis 

 game. 



