82 WILD LIFE PROTECTION FUND 



both good shots and poor shots to kill about fifty per cent 

 more ducks and geese than the same men could kill with 

 ordinary double-barreled guns, removed from the shoulder 

 after every two shots. If this is not true then all the men 

 who own the slaughter guns have been cajoled out of their 

 money. 



The principles of the devotees of the rod are exactly the 

 reverse of the lack of principles of the machine gunners. 

 To increase the difficulties of angling and to give the game 

 more of a show, the former have steadily reduced the size 

 of their lines and the weight of their rods. The automatic 

 gunner wants the utmost of machinery, and every chance 

 of escape taken away from the ducks and geese. But it is 

 useless to comment upon that. No gentleman sportsman 

 now uses a machine gun, and the man who does use one 

 does not know that there is any such thing as ethics in shot- 

 gun sport. They are in the class of "sports" who dynamite 

 trout and kill robins for food. 



At present the huge financial interests behind the guns 

 are having things all their own way, except in Pennsyl- 

 vania, New Jersey, in the various provinces of Canada, and 

 clubs of gentlemen sportsmen from which the automatics 

 and pumps have been barred. The net profits to the makers 

 on the automatic and pump shot-guns must be at least $5 

 per gun, or $500,000 per year. 



Later on we hope to have time for further diversions 

 with the automatic gun ; for the use of machine guns is be- 

 coming more and more intolerable and disgraceful. Just 

 at present, however, we have more important causes to 

 promote, and must apologize for our seeming neglect. 



