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6 IMPLEMENTS FOR COLLECTING, AND THEIR USE. 
reasons the bore should be small; I prefer 14 gauge, and 
should not think of going over 12. To judge from the best 
sporting authorities, length of barrel is of less consequence 
than many suppose; for myself, I incline to a rather long bar- 
rel—one nearer 33 than 28 inches — believing that such a 
barrel may throw shot closer; but I am not sure that this is 
even the rule, while it is well known that several circumstances 
of loading, besides some almost inappreciable differences in 
barrels, will cause guns apparently exactly alike to throw shot 
differently. Length and crook of stock should of course be 
adapted to your figure —a gun may be made to fit you, as well 
as acoat. For wild-fowl shooting, and on some other special 
occasions, a heavier and altogether more powerful gun will be 

preferable. 
§2. BREECH-LOADER vs. muzzle-loader, a case long argued, 
may be considered settled in favor of the former. Provided 
the mechanism and workmanship of the breech be what they 
should there are no yalid objections to offset obvious advan- 
tages, some of which are these: ease and rapidity of loading, 
and consequently delivery of shots in quick succession; facil- 
ity of cleaning; compactness and portability of ammunition ; 
readiness with which different sized shot may be used. This 
last is highly important to the collector, who never knows 
the moment he may wish to fire at a very different bird from 
such as he has already loaded for. The muzzle-loader must 
always contain the fine shot with which nine-tenths of your 
specimens will be secured ; if in both barrels, you cannot deal 
with a hawk or other large bird with reasonable prospects of 
success; if in only one barrel, the other being more heavily 
charged, you are crippled to the extent of exactly one-half of 
your resources for ordinary shooting. Whereas, with the 
breech-loader you will habitually use mustard-seed in both 
barrels, and yet can slip in a different shell in time to seize 
most opportunities requiring large shot. This consideration 
alone should decide the case. But, moreover, the time spent 
in the field in loading an ordinary gun is no small item; while 



