with waxed end, round the handle, similar to a cricketbat, which rather lessens the jar; and the upper part of the butt very much cut away, in order to prevent it from hurting the shoulder bone. I also paint and varnish the stock, by which means it does not get cracked, after being wetted with salt water. The gun-maker's stocks, I found were always a great plague on this account, as well as from the trouble of keeping them in order, after being exposed to the spray of the salt water. Add to which, they recoil most unmercifully, and are therefore only fit for light charges. I should always have these stocks rather short; as one that would mount well in a shooting jacket would be unmanageably long in a gunning dress.

The following is the average of several shots, tried at twelve sheets of thick brown paper, to ascertain the dif *ference between two common duck guns, and a very superior double gun, made by Mr. Joseph Manton.

The large guns were loaded with precisely double the charge of the small gun, which is one-fifth less than that with which they always killed best.

The paper was nailed up close to a sheet of water, and two men placed to observe the effect; which was, that the outside shot (that which flew wide of the paper) appeared to be driven with much more force from the heavy guns, and of course, spread a much larger surface.

This proves that, although both are accurately levelled, the difference between a wildfowl gun and a small gun is not so very considerable, at a single bird; yet from the immense circle, which the large gun spreads, you have more chances of killing with an indifferent aim; and of course, in a flock (as before said), would kill many more birds

at a shot.

At the same time, an opportunity was taken to prove the advantage of shot lying compact; viz. after loading the double gun with a full charge of powder, and placing within the muzzle a round of pasteboard, I put thereon forty-five grains of No. 7 shot, shook them all into one tier on the wadding, and after having laid on them another round of pasteboard, carefully rammed down all together the result was, that at thirty yards, twenty grains were well distributed in a newspaper.

Subjoined is another trial, between the smallest size duck guns and fourteen gauge double guns (at thirty-eight yards), with twelve sheets of thickest brown paper, put up afresh for each shot.

GENERAL REMARKS.- A damp, windy day; and therefore much against the force of powder. The eighth part of a sheet of letter paper was pasted on every front sheet, as a bull's eye; and on an average, received about five grains of shot. All the barrels were made by Charles Lancaster, except the one of Mr. D. Egg, and were well worked and dirtied previously to being tried. The same measure of powder as of shot.

* On Mr. Joseph Manton's first principle, which was discarded from being so troublesome to clean; and which owed much of its strength to having more weight of metal; and so small a vent-hole, that it was repeatedly missing fire.

Recoiled severely, if loaded higher, from being too short in proportion to the bore,

In comparison with the table of shots originally given, I am now enabled to add the performance of a duck gun, made expressly to my order by Mr. Joseph Manton, the barrel of which was prepared by Lancaster.

With four ounces and a half of No. 2 shot, well shaken down, after being put in the barrel, and an equal measure of powder strongly wadded.

The following table of a gun trial which I have just found among my papers, and which I perfectly remember making (though I see it is without date, and without the size of the target or the shot being specified), may yet prove as well worth insertion as any, because it plainly shows the decided advantage in the increased size of guns.

and therefore would not answer my purpose for wildfowl. This gun was made to my order by Mr. Joseph Manton, and is the same with which Mr. Osbaldiston, in 1824, won a five hundred guinea match, and since that, several others. This gentleman refused one hundred and fifty guineas for the gun.

Query. Does this corroborate the assertion, then, that a small gun will kill as well as a large one?

In loading a duck gun, the farther you wish to reach a flock of birds, the more powder and the less shot you must put; because you may often make good a few random shots into flocks of wildfowl, by putting a considerably larger measure of powder than of shot; when, by the usual mode of loading, you might only hear the shot rattle on the wings of many, without bringing down a single bird.

To conclude this subject, it need only be observed, that the same directions as those before given will hold good for the choice, care, and cleaning of duck guns. They cannot, however, be made to balance quite so well as guns on a small construction, without an unmanageable quantity of lead; and in these, the scrollguard, or what is far better, as I before observed, a pistol grip to the stock, may be adopted, in order to prevent the right hand from being driven against the face, in the event of a recoil. But, if they should have been loaded some time, it is best to loosen the charge of shot, which, otherwise, would be felt severely.

If one of these guns should be laid aside for a season or two, your filling it with mutton suet will entirely prevent rust.