224 
TRAVELS 
bridge, made themfelves extremely merry at our folly in fpending 
powder and lead on birds which in their minds were of little or 
no value. But as they remarked our ferious air and feeming dif- 
appointment at miffing them, they began to imagine that they 
might oblige us by killing fome on their fide, and bringing them 
to us. Prefently we faw one of them fetch out his gun, and, 
after firing his fhot, creep over the bridge to prefent us with 
one of thofe birds. I thanked him, but obferving that the bird 
wanted the head, I made him underftand that this circumftance 
rendered it not defirable to me, and that I wifhed to have it en¬ 
tire. I examined his gun, which I found had an old rifle-barrel, 
but of a very fmall bore, and that it was with a ball he had killed 
the bird. I then ffiewed him the fmall fhot, and made figns to 
him that he ffiould charge his piece with this. The honeft pea- 
fant was not a little aftonifhed at the fight of my fmall lead, which 
probably he had never feen before. He declined my offer, and 
loaded as ufual with ball, but intimated to me that he would 
bring me another bird with its head. My friend departed, bred 
his piece, and brought me a bird of the fame fpecies, which, that 
he might have it as entire as poffible, he had but flightly grazed 
under the throat. I w'as much furprized at the precifion of his 
aim, but was afterwards affured that all the peafants ffioot with 
thofe rifle-guns, and that they hardly ever mifs their mark ; 
that they fend quantities of water quails and other birds killed in 
this manner to Stockholm; and that they prefer this kind of 
fowling-piece to any other on account of its narrow bore, which 
is 
