March 20, 1884.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



146 



wave is a mvsterv. Larks {Stwrnella magna) robins (Merida 

 maratariw)U\ieUrAa (Sialia siatis) have been here>inc.P tbe 

 first of tbe present month. Partridge (Boiuisa vmbdhis) 

 have wintered well, what few are left. Many were shot the 

 past season, and reynard, who is an unmerciful pot-hunter, 

 keeps up the slaughter the whole, year through. lam glad 

 to learn that some of the readers of the Forest and Stream 

 are awaking to the fact that a bounty on his head is the 

 only wav to save the birds from total extermination.— Bar 

 Lock (Virgil, N. Y., March 13). j 



\m(t §z$ m\A 



PROTECTING SONG BIRDS. 



A BIRD never flutters unless it is hit. The taxidermists 

 of Massachusetts have taken alarm at the proposed leg- 

 islation 2,-iving the power to license them into the hands of 

 the Fish and Game Commissioners. Heretofore any boy of 

 sixteen years could obtain a certificate from the curator of 

 the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Cambridge, the 

 president of the Massachusetts Agricultural College at Am- 

 herst, the Boston Society of Natural History, the Worcester 

 Lyceum and Natural History Society, the Peabody Academy 

 of Science at Salem, or from any incorporated society of 

 natural history or college in the State, and become a full- 

 fledged ornithologist, with power to hunt and kill, and take 

 the nests and eggs of as many birds as he could find. The 

 effect of such a law has been disastrous to the birds of the 

 State. Not only have the real taxidermists scoured wood- 

 land and field, but boys more in love with killing something 

 thau with any sort of 'study, have been let loose with a cer- 

 tificate in their pockets and a gun in their hands, till the 

 song and insectivorous birds we loved so well in boyhood 

 have begun to disappear. 



A lady of Taunton, Mass., writes the Fish and Game 

 Protective Association a letter of congratulation that some- 

 thing is at last to be done to stop the destruction of our na- 

 tive "birds under tbe name of science. She remarks the rapid 

 decrease of the more common birds during the past three 

 or four years in her immediate vicinity, and easily traces 

 their skins into the taxidermist's shop, and, worse than all, 

 their eggs into the collections of pretended young students 

 of ornithology. The lady is able to point out a number of 

 such collections in her immediate neighborhood — eggshells 

 enough to have made the birds scarce in any tract of coun- 

 try from which they were taken. She very aptly illustrates 

 the real state of the* case when she shows how a boy thirty or 

 forty years ago would have been reproved by his mother 

 with tears in lier eyes for taking a single bird's nest or esg, 

 and have perhaps received a whipping from his father. But 

 to-day the boy's collection of a few badly mounted bird 

 skins and hundreds of eggshells is put into the mother's best 

 parlor, labelled "Ornithology," often badly spelled and 

 worse written, and the mother points out the collection with 

 pride when visitors call, with a look which says, "See how 

 much our boy knows." Perhaps the young ornithologist, at 

 the very moment, is behind the woodshed reading Indian 

 stories in a dime novel. 



When we remember the earnest researches of Wilson and 

 Audubon, the many days of patient study they derated to 

 live birds, and take into account what true and devoted bird 

 study has already given us, really such pursuit of ornithology 

 as the lady reader mentions looks tame and ridiculous. The 

 institutions of learning which have granted thousands of 

 certificates to boys to follow out so false a line of study have 

 not done a work to be proud of. 



But the taxidermists of the trade have taken alarm, and 

 the Legislature is being besieged with communications, and 

 members are being interviewed and urged to vote down any 

 bill which shall interfere with the study of bird science. A 

 member of the Legislature made a good reply the other day 

 to one of these lobbyists. 



"Well," said be, "you want the law to stand as it is?"* 



"Yes; the law is good enough." 



"You want to kdl birds and take their eggs, in order to 

 study them, don't you?" 



"Yes, sir; we are obliged to have collections of dead and 

 mounted birds in our study of ornithology." 



"Well, perhaps you are right; but would you expect a 

 traveler, sent out to a far country to study the habits of the 

 people, to take a shotgun with* him and kill and stuff the 

 skins of all the people he could find? He would come back 

 with a full knowledge of the habits and customs of the people, 

 wouldn't he?" 



The taxidermists retreated from the force of such reason- 

 ing. X. 



THE OLD GUN. 



ONE of my neighbors, a few years ago, showed me a big 

 10-bore flint-lock gun, which, in the hands of his an- 

 cestors, had done some tall duck shooting. They used to 

 run their own shot in a mould with sixteen chambers, and 

 used flax tow for wadding. To overcome the recoil they 

 wore a pad on tbe sboulder, and fired heavy charges, ft 

 was used for a training gun in the old militia days. 



Finally, one day I told him if he would let me target it I 

 would buy it. I don't shoot flint locks since I fired one a 

 number of years ago at a flock of blackbirds up in the elms 

 and singed my winkers by the pan powder ; but I have a 

 vise in my shop that holds them and a hot iron sends them 

 off. After making a few trials that way I found that the 

 old gun stood by it's record, and the result was a trade. I 

 had a government percussion fixed on and the very first shot 

 that I had at ducks I got four mallards. The paced distance 

 was between nine and ten rods. I think the best target shot 

 I have made with it was when it had been loaded for a while 

 and was somewhat rusty .in the muzzle. At eight rods it 

 put four center large shot inside of a two-inch ring, the rest 

 a good pattern. Query— Did the slight rust ' act as choke ? 

 if so, what is the best choke for heavy shot? 



I have since taken off the heavy brass heel plate, crooked 

 the stock, shortened stock under barrel, and cut off six 

 incbesof tbe barrel, and it makes a handy, reliable gun that 

 we can turn round on an ordinary sized lot. Tbe original 

 length of barrel was 3 feet 6 inches. There are two crowns 

 struck on the barrel near the breech, and Amsterdam is 

 plainly lettered on the lock plate. 



Such is a brief history of the old gun that has brought 

 many a duck and gray squirrel to hand since I bought it. 



I will write some time how to crook a gun stock to make 

 q uick sighting and have the stock strong. 



Country. 

 Glastoa-buky. Conn. 



THE PERFORMANCE OF SHOTGUNS. 



Editor forest and Stream: 



Like "Backwoods," in your journal of Feb, 28, 1884, 1 

 am "tempted to put in my oar"'on the "performance of shot- 

 guns." 



We will premise by saying that no sized bore, no length 

 or weight of gun, no amount of powder, nor any charge of 

 any sized shot can be made to attain a greater initial velocity 

 than about 2,000 feet per second; that with a given charge 

 of powder, the velocity falls off as the weight of shot is in- 

 creased ; that as great an initial velocity can be attained with 

 a 20-gauge as with a 4, or 6, 8, 10 or 12-gauge gun ; that a 4, 6, 

 or 8-gauge weighing 10 to 20 pouuds can project shot of the 

 same size no further, or attain to any greater initial velocity 

 than one of 12, 16, or 20-gauge weighing 7 to 8 or 9 pounds. 



If these assumptions be true, it only remains for us to find 

 out the quantity of powder, quantity and size of shot, and 

 that medium of weight and gauge of gun that will handle 

 the easiest, and that will kill the game we are after the best. 



This will bring you to repeated trials to test the "perform- 

 ance of shotguns." 



In these "tests" something liketbefollowing may be found 

 to be true, and aid in making choice, of the gun we are look 

 ingfbr; 



TEST OF DIFFERENT CHARGES OF POWDER. 



V2-(Uiuge Gnn—iO Yards. 



Charge. 



Pattern. 



Force. 



Recoil in Lbs, 



Powder Shot 

 No. 1. No. f. 



R. 



L. 



R. 



L. 



R. 



L. 



Sdms. lj^oz. 



126 



170 



im 



IBM 



87 



86 



8J^dins, 



same. 



14T 



170 



im 



!■% 



92 



90 



4dms. 



same. 



134 



170 



im 



18 



96 



95 



•t^dms. 



same. 



117 



172 



15% 



16% 



100 



100 



10-Gauge Gun—4D Yards. 



Charge. 



Poller Shot 

 No. 1* No. 7. 



Irlms. 

 4J£dms. 

 Sdms. 

 5^dms. 



moz. 



same. 

 same, 

 same. 



156 

 14C 

 157 

 140 



200 

 170 

 191 



14>g 15 



15 15W 



i6 iej| 



16 j 16 



94 93 



08 103 



10J1.4 188 



105 105 



t Oriental powder is numbered No. 1 line to No. 4 coarse. 

 TEST OF DIFFERENT SIZES OF POWDER. 

 12-Gauge Gun — 40 Yards. 



Charge. 



Pattern. 



Powder, 

 4 drs. 



Shot, 

 No. 7. 



No. 1. 

 No. 2. 

 No. 3. 



l^oz. 

 same, 

 same. 



134 

 135 

 152 



170 

 167 

 194 



Force. 



,16 96 



10-Gauge— 40 Yards. 



Charge. Pattern. 



Force. 



Recoil. 



powder, 



AY, drs. 



Shot, 

 No. 7. 



R. 



L. 



R. 



L. 



R. 



L. 



No. 1. 

 No. 2. 

 Ne 3. 



l^oz. 146 

 same. 139 

 same, t 157 



170 

 181 

 210 



15 



ap* 



If 

 12^ 



98 

 95 

 91 



99 

 90 

 90% 



TEST OF DIFFERENT CHARGES OF SHOT. 

 12-Gauge Gun— 40 Yards. 



Charge. 



Powder, Shot, 

 No. 1. No. 7. 



same. 



loz. 

 l!4oz. 



125 



127 



160 

 174 



16 

 UYs 



10-Gauge Gun— 40 Yards. 



Charge. 



Powder, Shot, 

 No. 1. No. 7. 



4^gdms. 



same, 

 same. 



loz. 

 IMoz. 



lUoz. 



149 

 133 

 175 



154 

 149 

 191 



17H ! 18 

 16^ 16fi 

 15U 1£|< 



90 

 92 



100 



G-Gauge Gun — 40 Fords. 



Charge. 



i 

 Pattern. Force. 



Recoil. 



Powder, 

 No. 1. 



Shot, 

 No. 7. 



One Barrel. One Barrel. One Barrel. 



5dms. lUoz. 

 same. 2J|oz. 



287 14 1-6 117 

 551 i2i .s lag 



Each test given above is the average of six shots with Oriental 

 powder. 



Suppose an initial ■velocity of 2,000 feet per second can be 

 attained, then No. 7 shot in any gun will be projected up 

 206.71 yards, or 37.58 rods, in 3i seconds of time; No. 8 

 shot, 176.20 yards, or 3.2 rods, in 8.27 seconds; No. 5 shot, 

 234.45 yards, or 42.63 rods, in 3.85 seconds; No. 3 shot, 

 268.10 yards, or 48.75 rods, in 4.17 seconds. 



It is not claimed that all guns of the same gauge, loaded 

 with the same charge, fired at the same distance, will pro- 

 duce exactly tbe same pattern, but it will be found that the 

 force or penetration will be substantially the same, because 

 the initial velocity will be substantially the same. 



The variation in the pattern and 'force of guns of the 



same gauge will arise from the quantity and size of the pow- 

 der used in loading, the quantity and size of shot and, to 

 some, extent, the manner of loading when fired at the same 

 distance, and the choke of the bore. For instance: A 

 10-gauge gun charged with 5 drams of powder (No. 2 Ori- 

 ental) and 1 ounce shot, the initial velocity will be very near 

 1,817 feet per second; with l^ounces shot, 1,716 feet per sec- 

 ond; with li ounces shot, 1,628 feet per second; with If 

 ounces shot, 1,550 feet per second; with 1| ounces shot, 1,482 

 feet per second. 



All the tests show that an increased quantity of shot will 

 give a better pattern, at medium range, say 40 yards, but it 

 will be at the sacrifice of force or penetration. 



The large gauges will carry more shot, be more likely to 

 hit, while the force will be about the same as in smaller 

 gauges, and at short, range will be more liable to kill; as the 

 impact of ten shot hitting a bird the size of a ruffed giouse 

 would knock the life out of it without a single shot pene^ 

 tratiug a vital part, while one, two or three shot at much 

 greater velocity might go through the bird, and yet it might 

 not fall until it bad" flown out of sight. 



In the light of these facts which I have only touched upon 

 without elaboration, it seems pretty clear to me that the 

 days of heavy guns and big bores are about numbered. That 

 in choosing a gun for ease in handling, for pattern and pene- 

 tration, for economy in loading, and convenience in the field, 

 a 30-inch, Si to 81, 10-gauge breechloading double-barreled 

 shotgun loaded with 4J drams No. 1 and 3 powder (mixed 

 hah' and half) with two pink-edged wads over the powder, 

 and li ounces shot, one wad over shot, will be found such a 

 medium as to answer all reasonable purposes, and give daily 

 and increasing satisfaction. Next to it a 12-gauge, 30-inch, 

 7f to8£ pounds, double-barreled breechloader', especially for 

 field shooting will be found adequate, and a great favorite 

 where one can afford to keep two guns. Load, 3 to 3£ drama 

 powder No. 1, and 1 ounce shot. 



As to the choice between the muzzle and the breechloader 

 lean only say "there is no accounting for tastes." For 

 thirty years I owned and shot two muzzleloaders, which I 

 then' thought were good guns. When breechloaders came 

 and were thoroughly tested, I gave one of them away and 

 had tbe other altered over into a breechloader, and have 

 it yet. 



It is my opinion that there is but little difference in the 

 force or penetration between them. But in pattern and con- 

 venience there is a wide difference, especially if tbe breech- 

 loader be choked and metallic shells are used. With me- 

 tallic shells wads over the powder can be used two sizes 

 larger than the gauge of the gun. This enables you to get 

 the same initial velocity, and consequently the same force 

 or penetration that you can possibly gat "from the muzzle- 

 loader, wbllp the choke in the breechloader, which you can- 

 not have in the muc'le.lofider, w*.ll -mo$t P^Ktainly tr\vp mii- 



formly the best pattern. But suppose their penetration and 

 pattern were equal, would not the muzzleloader have to 

 yield to the greater convenience and rapidity of loading of 

 the breechloader? D. W. C. 



Cleveland, O., March, 1884. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



My experience with, and opinion of breechloading shot- 

 guns, is about as follows: I own a 12-bore, 28-inch, 8j-pound 

 chokebored Colt gun. The tag which came with the gun 

 said, ' '3 drams Hazard powder, 1 i ounces No. 8 shot, 2 pink- 

 edge wads over powder, 1 over shot, for paper shells same 

 size fis shell, and for brass shells 2 sizes larger;" while the 

 paUfern given was "298 right barrel, and 302 left barrel, 40 

 yards, bO-inck circle, No. 8 shot." Eesult of test. Made a 

 scpre of paper targets, 30-inch circle, loaded brass shells, 2f 

 i -j ekes long, as directed, and the best pattern was about 250. 

 Then tried paper shells with about the same result, which 

 was not satisfactory, as the gun was "warranted to make 

 pattern on tag." Had been using Winchester pink-edge 

 wads, and slow-burning powder. Was told to get finer 

 powder, and Eley's pink-edge wads. Procured some FFG 

 dead shot powder, and Eley's wads, and paper sbells 2$ inches 

 long — length of chamber in barrel — and. the result was a 

 pattern of 324, with 3 drams of the fine powder. This result 

 was quite pleasing, in fact very satisfactory; but I concluded 

 to do a little better if possible. Procured cardboard wads 

 to use over shot, with the brass star wad which banishes 

 crimping and holds the cardboard wad securely, and tried 

 again. Eureka! count up 421 in 30-inch circle, 36 in 6-inch 

 circle, and 11 in 3-inch bullseye. Good enough. Try same 

 charge, 3 drams, wood powder, about 300; increase the 

 charge, to 4 drams, and over 400 again. At 100 measured 

 yards with 4 drams of quick, strong powder, li ounces No. 

 4 shot, can stick in a pine board from 1 to 5 shot in a 6-inch 

 circle every time. Cannot do it with wood powder, the shot 

 will dent but will not stick. As to penetration, that must 

 follow a good pattern, the two are inseparable. 



Conclusion of the whole matter: A 12-bore. chokebored, 

 28-inch gun, loaded with a shell length of chamber, 3 drams 

 strong, quick, black powder, 1J ounces No. 8 shot, 2 Eley's 

 pink-edge wads over powder, cardboard and star wad over 

 shot, will put over 400 pellets in a 80-inch circle at 40 

 measured yards. Probably a 10-bore would do better still. 

 This whole question hinges on one essential point — loading. 

 The best chokebored gun now made, if improperly loaded, 

 will give unsatisfactory results. Next. 



New Market, N, H. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



In your issue of March 6, 1884, I notice a communication 

 from "Hammerless," in which he says: "Tell your corres- 

 pondent "Octo" that if his gun will average 440 out of a 

 counted charge of 500, I will give him five times as much 

 as he paid for his gun." 



I would not feel called upon to answer "Hammerless" 

 concerning this extremely liberal offer on bis part, except 

 that in other parts of his interesting article he seems, and I 

 believe with good reason, to condemn the want of uniformity 

 in targeting guns; and I do not want to appear among those 

 who "heap'' the measure and use "trap shot" also, or who 

 shoot at a range of 35 yards and call it 37 or 40, or who have 

 "guides" to direct the scattering pellets to the target. If 

 "Hammerless" will examine the squib "I wrote in tbe issue 

 of Feb. 21," he will discover that it reads as follows: "In 

 answer to bis (Buckeye's) inquiry as to the proper perform- 

 ance of a good breechloader, 1 would say that at 40 yards, 

 with li ounces of No. 8 shot (Tatbam's 400 to the ounce) 

 and five drams of powder, a good 10-gauge gun should put 

 from 375 to 440 pellets in a 30-inch circle," etc. Tbe italics 

 are mine. "Hammerless" will notice that I do not even 

 claim to own a gun at all, nor do I claim that even agood 

 gun will average 440 pellets with the charge and range 

 given. Not wishing to arouse the ire of "Hammerless" at 



