90 
THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY 
the tangential disposition would, of course, place it at I, 
in the same time. The “ Sportsman” must allow, for the 
sake of his own argument, that the load must remain a 
sufficient length of time at the muzzle, to receive all the 
lateral motion of that part, however inappreciable the in- 
terval. The contents of the gun, therefore, has received, 
at the instant of its departure, a certain lateral progression, 
which there is nothing afterwards to increase, and, at the 
same time, a forward velocity of, we will say as a data, 
one hundred yards in a second. Whilst the load, there- 
fore, is passing through this space, the bird has arrived at 
H, which is exactly in a line with the gun, if it had con- 
tinued the same rate of swing. We have now two forces 
to consider, a forward one of one hundred yards in a second, 
and a side one of ten feet in a second, and as all uninfluenced 
impulses are in straight lines, a course exactly between the 
two will be the track of the load, and it will reach G, in 
a line diagonally drawn from B, to a point in a line with 
I. If it be thought that my time is extreme, take any 
proportion of it, and the result is the same. For instance, 
consider that one-twentieth of a second is required for a 
ball to pass one hundred yards, take the one-twentieth of 
eighty-seven feet, as the progress of the bird, and the 
same proportion of the advance of the gun, and you will 
have six inches as the arc for the muzzle, and more than 
four feet for the bird. 
As to the second objection of the “ Sportsman,” to hear- 
ing the sound of the shot strike the bird, I do not recol- 
lect to have ever met with a ducker but who believed that 
a sound that is distinctly heard immediately after the dis- 
charge, arose from that cause. When birds, at even a less 
distance than one hundred yards, are struck, and sufficiently 
hard to kill instantly, a noise is perceived that can have no 
other explanation, and I have often closed my eyes to be 
enabled to determine from this sound alone, the success of 
the shot. During the sporting of last season, it was a sub- 
ject of daily conversation with us, and the death of many 
ducks was successfully predicted by that means alone, and 
the particular gunner, who struck the bird, was frequently 
determined, and the fact proven by the examination of 
the entering pellets, when there was no indication of success 
till after all had discharged. Mr. Titian Peale, than whom 
there cannot be more experienced or philosophical author- 
ity, has informed me, that when large animals, as buffalo, 
elk, or deer, are struck by a ball, and death instantly fol- 
lows, this sound is distinctly heard, though a much less 
resounding body than feathers is impinged. A ball fired 
at an object as a board, or even a solid post, at one hundred 
yards, can be heard to strike, almost uniformly. The 
« Sportsman” forgets that this sound must return to the 
ear at a rate of 1142 feet in a second, so that at one hundred 
yards, one-fourth of a second must elapse after the blow, 
before its report, which, allowing the discharge and effect 
are simultaneous, which they certainly are not, is suffi- 
cient to enable this noise to be heard. 
Before closing my remarks on the essay which excited 
the observations of the “ Sportsman,” I will express my 
regret at the errors in composition which are self-apparent 
in it, the piece having been written in haste, and my 
engagements preventing a subsequent correction. 
I. T. S. 
ON THE CHOICE OF GUNS. 
Messrs. Editors, 
In my communication of the 19th of October, 1830, I 
confined myself to a description of guns adapted princi- 
pally for field purposes, or shooting small game. My object 
in the present, is to speak of those kinds which are most 
approved of by the “Still Shooter ,”* whose object is to 
kill large game, and at a great distance, such as deer, geese, 
ducks, &c. There is, however, a diversity of opinion re- 
specting these guns, chiefly growing out of habit, owing 
to the peculiar notions of many persons, and their mode of 
hunting. It is notorious, that many a man who has a gun, 
thinks himself in possession of the very best in the world, 
and his practice confirms him in his opinion, that is, the 
only one calculated to insure success. With such I am not 
going to dispute the point, but yield at once to all which 
they shall insist upon, as undeniable, and true to the very 
letter. 
In selecting a gun for the purpose of killing deer, turkey, 
wild ducks, &c. I would recommend one weighing from 
ten to twelve pounds, if single, and twelve to fourteen, if 
double-barrelled, of seven-eighths calibre, and about three 
feet three to three feet six inches in length, which is capa- 
ble of throwing from two to three ounces of shot, of any 
kind, and which will be found convenient for carrying 
about. When, however, the object is boat-shooting, a 
different gun from this, altogether, is required. In the 
District of Columbia, it is the custom now, to use guns, 
weighing twenty-five or thirty pounds, of an inch, or an 
inch and a quarter calibre, from four to five feet in length, 
carrying from six to eight ounces of shot, and it is even 
asserted that ten ounces are frequently thrown at once!!! 
In the winter of 1827-8, a coloured man had been pro- 
vided with a small piece of cannon, (it could be called 
* A still shooter is one who remains stationary at some place, and only 
shoots when objects pass him, or who hunts without a dog, and steals upon his 
game. 
