118 



THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY, 



direct line of aim, is as one to 30, and it may by chance 

 occur, " when birds, at even a less distance than one hun- 

 dred yards, are struck, and sufficiently hard to kill in- 

 stantly," that the sound of the action of the shot may be 

 heard; but does I. T. S. seriously believe that those shot 

 which produced this sound are the eifective shot? 



Here again, I would refer I. T. S. to the " production 

 of sound," as a basis of my argument against him. In a 

 case like this, where ocular demonstration is unavailing, we 

 can only come to proof by analogous reasoning on philo- 

 sophy; and, in the first place, I would remark that sound 

 is created more intensely, frequently, by a weaker, than a 

 greater force: as, for instance, the stroke of a v.'oodman 

 with his axe against a tree, is heard at a greater distance 

 than would the sound produced by a ball propelled by a 

 cannon, striking against the same object; or a rifle ball 

 thrown by the hand against a board fence, would be heard 

 more distinctly, than if propelled by the gun itself; or shot 

 thrown on crusted snow, will create a rattling noise, when, 

 if impelled by the gun, it is too indistinct to be heard: and 

 yet, who does not immediatel}' see the infinite diflerence 

 between the propelling powers; and why does this lesser 

 power create more sound than the greater? Simplv, be- 

 cause, by the action of one body against the other, a vibra- 

 tory motion is produced in the air by the two sonorous 

 bodies, and thus the sound is wafted to the ear; but in the 

 case of the cannon, lifle, or gun, discharging their contents 

 against the same bodies, their vibration is destroved by 

 one entering the other. So a bell, by resisting the clapper, 

 produces a very great sound; but supposing the clapper 

 stuck fast to the bell at every stroke, would one-fourth of 

 Ihe sound be produced? No. Then, just so it is with the 

 compact feathers of a duck resisting the shot which pro- 

 duces the sound so much contended for by I. T. S. But 

 the effective shot, being impelled with so much force as to 

 sink into the flesh (a substance not sonorous) vibration is 

 destroyed, and it produces no other sound, than by con- 

 densing the air between the two surfaces, which would be 

 too indistinct to be heard, even at a very trifling distance. 



I shall conclude my remarks, by observing that, how- 

 ever I may differ in my views of the subject from your cor- 

 respondent, to receive and compare his ideas, on matters 

 connected with the science of Shooting, will ever be a 

 source of gratification and pleasure to a 



SPORTSMAN. 



AN EXCURSION TO THE CHESAPEAKE. 



In the fall of the year 1829, C. and myself contemplated 

 visiting the Delaware and Chesapeake Canal, to gratify cu- 



riosity in witnessing this important work, and at the same 

 time indulge in our favouriteamusement of shooting, which 

 the neighbourhood of the Canal, Back Creek, and the Elk 

 River, abundantly affords. We accordingly started, and 

 arrived in good condition at Chesapeake City, about two 

 o'clock of the same day, much gratified with what we had 

 seen, and delighted at the prospect of abundance of game, 

 and the after part of the day was spent in reconnoitering 

 preparative to an early start the next morning. Having 

 received an invitation from our friend Mr. K., (who is the 

 owner of some property at a place nearly opposite where 

 an attempt is making to raise a city, to be called Bohemia 

 City, but known at present by the name of Tick Town), to 

 accompany him on a Partridge-shooting excursion, we em- 

 braced his offer, and, after a day's hunt, without any 

 thing material occurring, we returned to our hotel, with 

 but few birds. 



Concluding the next day would afford us better success, 

 we determined to set ofi' early, without a guide, and with- 

 out having any particular place of destination in view. Ac- 

 cordingly, we started, after an early breakfast, but the 

 morning being very cool, and having frozen considera- 

 bly the night before, rendered the ground over which we 

 walked exceedingly bad, most of it having been newly 

 turned by the ploygh, and towards the middle of the day 

 became thawed, which caused it to be slippery, and very 

 fatiguing to travel over; this, however, was relieved by oc- 

 casionally flushing a covey of birds. About 12 o'clock we 

 arrived on the banks of Elk River, the beauty of which 

 amply repaid us for our walk. Hunger and thirst now 

 laid their heavy hands upon us, having started without 

 providing rations for the day, a very unusual circumstance 

 v.'ith us, as we are firm believers in the doctrine of supply- 

 ing the stomach with at least quant, siiff., which caused 

 us to direct our steps towards the first place likely to fur- 

 nish us with refreshments; and after following the river 

 several miles, and noting an innumerable quantity of ducks 

 with which the river abounds, but entirely out of the range 

 of our shot, we brought up to a miserable looking house, 

 just as the old women and her children were preparing to 

 sit down to a dinner, composed of such materials as would 

 have amply repaid a real disciple of the Epicurean school 

 for a walk of such a distance; it was composed of fine Can- 

 vass-back and Bald-pate ducks, with coffee. But how great 

 was our disappointment, when we found the ducks were 

 cooked without a particle of salt, or seasoning of any kind, 

 and on asking if they had salt in the house, the answer was 

 in the negative: when we were thinking about applying a 

 substitute in ashes, as we had somewhere read the Indians 

 do, who make use of this as a substitute on tlieir fish — the 

 little girl recollected an old fish-barrel was in the cellar. 



