18 MANUAL FOR YOUNG SPORTSMEN. 
as to have a combination of the two kinds of sport, in 
nearly equal proportions, and follows both with nearly 
equal ardor, I know no plan but that he should have a 
gun of each description; for the heavy piece it would be 
too wearisome to carry over hill and over dale, and the 
lighter will not tell its tale with effect on sea ducks; while, 
if a fine and costly article, it will be seriously damaged by 
the sea mist and salt air; and the finer the finish and 
engraving, the greater the damage. 
Such a gun ought to be, by choice, as plain as it can 
be made. Every line of engraving is a positive drawback, 
only serving to hold rust. The maximum price, which I 
should hold it desirable to pay for a fowl gun of this de- 
scription, is one hundred dollars, and for that, or even for 
eighty, any one of the New York makers I have named, 
will provide one of undoubted excellence. 
Than this, I think no double gun should be made 
larger. For boat-shooting in the bays or beaches I recom- 
mend, what I always use, two single guns of fourteen to 
sixteen pounds weight, four foot barrels, and 5 gauge. 
They should be made without ramrod or pipes, which 
only renders them top-heavy, and provided with a solid 
loading rod having a round knob on the upper end, and a 
complete set of cleaning apparatus to screw in at the 
other. 
These guns will carry four ounces of any sized shot 
from BB down to 4, and an equal measure of powder, and 
will kill with loose charges at 80 yards; with green car- 
tridges at 100, sure. 
They are English made, and imported; and can be 
