FIELD ARTILLERY FIRE. 
391 
and this proceeding is in valuable in classifying the layers. Errors in 
Scott’s sights may be detected in like manner. 
In studying the performance of No. 3 gun it will be seen that all three 
rounds fell within a space of 35 yards, which shows uniformity of 
laying; in this case only exceeded by the laying of No. 4 gun, whose 
two rounds fell within a space of 20 yards, it is, therefore, most 
probable that the Scott’s sight of No. 3 gun required adjustment, and 
this should be seen to before the gun-layer is accused of inaccuracy. 
Another great advantage of this system of analysis is that it can be 
proved beyond reasonable doubt whafc guns are badly laid; very often 
in looking over a gun at elementary practice a correction is ordered in 
the laying, about which the gun-layer, although acquiescent, is not 
convinced of the accuracy and would rather trust to his own laying, 
but by the above method of proof conviction must follow. 
We now turn to the practice with shrapnel for which a different 
example is taken. The results are not quite so reliable as those of 
common shell on account of the greater difficulty of judging the exact 
position of the burst of the shell. Officers must exercise their own 
judgment in accepting the height of burst as given either by the 
battery or by the range party ; that of the former is generally most 
accurate when the measurement is made with a Scott’s sight, on other 
occasions it is best to take the mean of the two observations, unless 
one of the two can be discarded as obviously incorrect. 
The data required can all be obtained from the practice report and 
the angle of descent from the range table. 
No. of 
round. 
Eleva¬ 
tion. 
Length 
of fuze. 
Height 
of burst. 
Burst or 1st 
graze of shell. 
Where the shell 
would have fallen 
if it had not burst 
in the air. 
1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
- 
+ 
- 
+ 
Yards. 
Feet. 
Yards. 
Yards. 
Yards. 
Yards. 
7 
1270 
6*5 
Gr. 
40 
— 
40 
— 
8 
— 
6 
20 
200 
— 
10 
— 
9 
— 
6 
20 
150 
— 
— 
40 
10 
— 
6 
26 
140 
— 
— 
91 
11 
— 
6-25 
15 
120 
— 
— 
2 
12 
— 
6-25 
10 
100 
— 
5 
— 
13 
— 
6-25 
10 
40 
— 
— 
55 
14 
— 
6-25 
10 
100 
— 
5 
— 
15 
— 
6*25 
8 
60 
— 
— 
5 
Angle of descent 1 in 28*5. 
The way columns 7 and 8 are arrived at is as follows 
