FIELD ORNITHOLOGY 



few of the largest land-birds, require heavier shot. I have had no 

 experience with the substitution of fine gravel or sand, much less 

 water, as a projectile ; besides shot I never fired anything at a bird 

 except my ramrod, on one or two occasions, when I never afterward 

 saw either the bird or the stick. Cut felt wads are the only suitable 

 article. Ely's " chemically prepared " wadding is the best. It is 

 well, when using plain wads, occasionally to drive a greased one 

 through the barrel Since you may sometimes run out of wads 

 through an unexpected contingency, always keep a wad-cutter to fit 

 your gun. You can make serviceable wads of pasteboard, but they 

 are inferior to felt. Cut them on the flat sawn end of a stick of 

 firewood. Use a wooden mallet, instead of a hammer or hatchet, 

 and so save your cutter. Soft paper is next best after wads ; I 

 have never used rags, cotton, or tow, fearing these tinder-like sub- 

 stances might leave a spark in the barrels. Crumbled leaves or 

 grass will answer at a pinch. 



Other Equipments.— (a) For the gun. A gun-case will come 

 cheap in the end, especially if you travel much. The usual box, 

 divided into compartments, and well lined, is the best, though the 

 full-length leather or india-rubber cloth case answers very well. 

 The box should contain a small kit of tools, such as mainspring-vice, 

 nipple-wrench, screw-driver, etc. A stout hard-wood cleaning-rod, 

 with wormer, will be required. It is always safe to have parts pf 

 the gun-lock, especially mainspring, in duplicate. For muzzle- 

 loaders extra nipples and extra ramrod heads and tips often come 

 into use. For breech-loaders the apparatus for charging the shells 

 is practically indispensable. (J) For ammunition. Metal shells or 

 paper cartridges may be carried loose in the large lower coat pocket, 

 or in a leather satchel. There is said to be a chance of explosion 

 by some unlucky blow, when they are so carried, but I never knew 

 of an instance. Another way is to fix them separately in a row in 

 snug loops of soft leather sewn continuously along a stout waist-belt ; 

 or in several such horizontal rows on a square piece of thick leather, 

 to be slung by a strap over the shoulder. But better than anything 

 else is a stout linen vest, similarly furnished with loops holding each 

 a cartridge ; this distributes the weight so perfectly, that the usual 

 " forty rounds " may be carried without feeling it. The appliances 

 for loose ammunition are almost endlessly varied, so every one may 

 consult his taste or convenience. But now that everybody uses the 

 breech-loader, shot-pouches and powder-flasks are among the things 

 that were, (c) For specimens. You must always carry paper in 

 which to wrap up your specimens, as more particularly directed 

 beyond. Nothing is better for this purpose than writing-paper ; 

 " rejected " or otherwise useless MSS. may thus be utilised. The 

 ordinary game-bag, with leather back and network front, answers 



