AND AMERICAN RURAL SPORTS. 
17 
in a continuance of their visits, I believe the sum of con- 
finement to the sick room, as well as the amount of medi- 
cal expenditures, would be materially diminished. 
So soon as the inflammatory stage has passed by, and 
that weak, irritable state of the system which follows 
almost every case, comes on, then is the time to forsake 
the “ charms of medicine” and the luxury of the doctor’s 
presence , and seek in fresh air and exercise that invigo- 
rating principle of health, that would be in the confined 
chamber like the mirage of the desert, 
“ A splendid phantom, 
The child of Hope, but leading to despair.” 
If citizens who are closely confined for most part of the 
day, instead of contenting themselves with a quiet ride 
on horseback, would “ shoulder their gun and march 
away” occasionally, even for a few hours, it would pro- 
duce a renovation of strength as well as spirits for business, 
that would counterbalance, even in its pecuniary results, 
for all their abstraction from the cares of life, and the addi- 
tion to their stock of healthy, pleasant bodily feelings 
would contribute vastly to the aggregate of their earthly 
happiness. 
Many persons are deterred from exposure to the air and 
moisture of swamps and marshes, from a fear of fevers. It 
has long been known to physicians, that certain causes will 
produce disease, when acting on a system enfeebled by 
fatigue and abstinence, that would have passed innocuous 
under other circumstances; and it is also well ascertained, 
that the immediate effect of this debility is in the stomach. 
The stomach is also supposed the organ that is operated on 
by causes that produce fever, and hence the medical pro- 
verb, that the stomach is like a schoolboy, when unem- 
ployed it is generally in mischief. Here then, is the 
great charm of avoiding disease from exposure, keep the 
stomach busy, not by stimuli , for the debility is thus 
increased, but by food slightly stimulating, as gingerbread, 
&c. The writer of this article, has had the benefit of 
some personal experience on this subject, as well as exten- 
sive observation in others, and he is well assured that few 
of the fevers and colds that follow exposure, would occur, 
if. care was taken to keep this great centre of the system 
well occupied. 
Persons starting on an expedition for sporting, often 
leave home in a hurry, and without laying in a sufficient 
stock of provender, and hence, hunt for hours on an 
empty stomach. Such persons soon fail in their exertions, 
and return home with headach, nausea and exhaustion, 
and in many instances with the seeds of maladies that 
“ripen unto death.” 
All the pleasures of this world, may be made with 
E 
proper precaution, useful to our being, and become by 
abuse, curses to our very nature; and in the high and 
mighty pleasure now before us, whether in the mild, sub- 
dued and feminine search after 
“ The glistening ornaments of the watery world,” 
or in the noble and gentlemanly enjoyment of the “ detona- 
ting sport,” the effects are unrivalled in the production of 
that happy state of mind and healthy condition of body, 
that can alone give melody to life and make us realize in 
this world 
“ All the luxury of a Poet’s dream.” 
I. T. S. 
THE CHOICE OF GUNS, 
ADAPTED FOR COMMON FIELD AMUSEMENTS. 
Observations on the choice of Guns best adapted 
for sporting purposes, and remarks relative to their manu- 
facture, by an old sportsman, well acquainted with the 
amusements of the field, and the work shops of Europe. 
On the choice of Guns . — The quality of a Gun depends 
on a variety of circumstances, and perfection in all the 
parts is seldom to be found, but as the barrels are of the 
greatest consequence, we shall treat of them first. The 
size of the calibre, and the length must depend on the 
game it is chiefly intended for. From two feet six, to two 
feet eight inches in length, with a calibre of eleven six- 
teenths or three quarters of an inch, is the size best adapted 
for grous, pheasants, rabbits, quails, and all such game as 
may be conveniently bagged, the weight should be from 
seven to eight pounds. If it be heavier it cannot be car- 
ried conveniently, nor the sportsman so well prepared for 
the contingencies of hunting, and consequently, game 
which rises unexpectedly generally escapes before the Gun 
can be brought to bear on it, especially in cover, of which 
the pheasant and several other species of game instinctively 
avail themselves, frequently rising behind a tree or bush 
and then fly off in a direct line, and thus elude the keenest 
sportsman. The author of this essay had long entertained 
the belief, that a Gun of weight and capacity, was the best 
calculated to insure a well filled bag, but a few years of 
experience convinced him of the error of his opinions. 
He made experiments alternately with light and heavy 
Guns and compared the amount of game killed with each, 
and always found that he was most successful with the 
lightest Gun, and accounts for it as follows. The heavy 
Gun was carried on his shoulder or in some other resting 
position, more than half of the day, not at all convenient 
