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the coccidiosis of grouse can be transmitted directly, and with fatal results, to fowl-chicks and young pigeons, which may ingest the oöcysts along with food or drink.

Several other one-celled microscopic organisms, or Protozoa, besides Eimeria (Coccidium) avium, as is mentioned above, have been found in the intestines of grouse and also in their blood, but in no case, so far, has any of these parasites been shown to have a markedly dangerous effect on the bird harbouring it. Some of these parasites, in fact, occur in perfectly healthy grouse, and apparently are almost innocuous.

Q L P 0 N M FIG. 15.

Diagram of the Life-Cycle of Eimeria (Coccidium) avium. B-H Illustrate the asexual reproduction (schizogony) of Eimeria (Coccidium) avium. I-L Illustrate the formation of sexual forms (gametogony) of E. avium. N-T Show the formation of the oöcysts (cysts) and sporocysts (spores) of E. avium (sporogony). A, Sporozoite or primary infecting germ which is penetrating an epithelial cell of the duodenum of the host. B, Sporozoite curving on itself before becoming rounded within the host-cell. c, Young, growing parasite. D, Fully grown parasite. E, Parasite (schizont) with its nucleus divided (seen in transverse section). F, Parasite forming merozoites, i.e., daughter forms of the dividing parasite. G, Group of merozoites, arranged like the segments of an orange. H, Free merozoites. 19, Young female mother cell with coarse granules. 16, Young male mother cell with fine granules. J♀, Growing female mother cell. Jó, Young males beginning to form in mother cell. ko, Female gamete that has formed a cyst-wall for itself, but left a thin spot for the entry of the male. Kठ, Fully formed males attached to their mother cell. L, Union of 8 and one male only unites with the female, the others are excluded. M, Further stage in fertilisation. N, Fertilised oöcyst (cyst) with its contents filling it. o, Oöcyst (cyst) with contents forming a central mass: many such cysts are seen in the droppings of infected grouse. P, Oöcyst (cyst) showing first stage in division into four. Q, Oöcyst with four daughter spores forming. R, Oöcyst with four fully formed sporocysts (spores). s, Cyst with four sporocysts (spores), in each of which two sporozoites are formed. T, Free sporocyst in which the sporozoites have taken up the most suitable position for emergence. and providing sources of new infection. The destruction of cysts on the moors has been expedited by heather-burning, or by adding a lime dressing in small quantities to the soil.

Coccidia in grouse may be spread from one district to another by the direct agency of flies. Insects such as dung-flies ingest STRONGYLOSIS.

The pathology of this disease has been most ably investigated and described by Dr.

Cobbett and Dr. Graham Smith, of the School of Medicine at Cambridge. The matter is still very difficult, and the members of the inquiry are not in a position at present to speak quite so definitely as to this disease, which attacks the older birds, as they are with regard to Coccidiosis. At the same time certain facts become clear. One of the first of these is that the cæca contain approximately equal numbers of the Strongyli, and the worms vary in numbers from none up to nearly 10,000 individuals in each cæcum.

The worms seem to be most numerous at the proximal end of the cæca, and when they exist in large numbers the contents of these parts, most important diverticula of the alimentary canal, become hard and very adherent to the mucous membrane, forming whitish patches when seen from the outside. After washing away the flocculent matter, which takes some time, the mucosa frequently appears reddened. There is no reason to believe this inflammatory state is due to post-mortem changes. The ridges which run along the walls of the cæca become thickened, the villi, as a rule, greatly hypertrophied (in other cases atrophied), and both villi and ridges were embedded in the above-mentioned cementing material, and seem to be composed of a mixture of mucus and granular débris.

CC2 Numerous Strongyles were seen adhering to the mucous membrane, and seem in places frequently to penetrate the villi. In some of the most serious cases the ridges were found to resemble masses of coral with cave-like depressions between the individual villi which frequently ceased to be distinguishable, from these depressions one or more Strongyli protruded. In section the epithelium was seen to be hypertrophied.

The muscular wall suffered from an infiltration of fibrous tissue. The fat which normally lies at the bases of the ridges in a healthy grouse had disappeared, and the blood-vessels showed thickenings of their walls. The connective-tissue base of the ridges was greatly increased, and the vessels and the villi were dilated and probably increased in number. In most places the connective tissue contained a large number of cells probably inflammatory in origin, and in some cases fibroid change was taking place. The epithelium was proliferated and thrown into folds. The lymphoid follicles were indistinguishable.

The general condition of a grouse suffering from Strongylosis shows evidences of a chronic inflammation of the alimentary canal leading to fibrosis. The Trichostrongylus in some cases penetrates to the deepest portions of the crypts. The epithelium lining these depressions when the round worm is adjacent to the walls of the intestine has greatly altered, and there is a marked increase in the fibrous tissue at its base.

It thus appears that the presence of these Strongyli lead to a chronic inflammation of the cæca and to fibrosis. The normal functions of these very important organs, the cæca, are interfered with and the tissue lining them is destroyed. The bird wastes away and ultimately dies. But there is another factor in the case. When the degree of infection surpasses 1,000 Strongyli in each cæcum, there is no doubt that there is a large increase in the number of the Bacillus coli in the liver, in the lungs, and in other organs. These bacilli do no harm whilst free in the alimentary canal, but when they pass the mucosa and reach the other tissues of the body they undoubtedly serve to set up various disorders.

The existence of disease caused by the passage of these Bacilli through the walls of the alimentary canal through lesions caused by tape-worms is less well established than through the disorganisation of the lining membrane of the cæca caused by the presence of T. pergracilis. On the other hand, one must not overlook the fact that Hymenolepis is especially numerous in the [GROUSE spring and autumn months, during which the greatest mortality takes place, and is absent during the winter when the birds are comparatively healthy.

It is seen that the small number of colonies of Bacillus coli, which can be cultivated from the tissues of a diseased grouse, points to the fact that these Bacteria do not multiply to any extent in the tissues.

Hence it would seem that no specific disease is caused by the infection of these Bacteria.

The toxic products of the Bacilli, however, may be harmful, and should the Bacilli exist in great numbers, there is little doubt that toxins would be produced which would have a very deleterious effect on the health of the bird.

There are, of course, other causes of death in grouse. For instance, Dr. Cobbett and Dr. Graham Smith have seen cases of death caused by pleuro-pneumonia, pericarditis, chronic diseases of the peritoneum, and septic infection from the gangrenous fracture of a wing, &c. Still, as far as the evidence submitted to the present Grouse Disease Inquiry helps, the majority of thin and wasted adult birds that are picked up dead on the moor, or, being unable to fly, are caught by keepers, have succumbed to diseases associated with the presence of a heavy infection of the tape-worm, Hymenolepis microps, and still more frequently with a still heavier infection of the thread-worm, Trichostrongylus pergracilis.

A. E. SHIPLEY.

GUANACO (Lama huanacus).

Distribution. From the Andes of Ecuador and Peru to Tierra del Fuego and the pampas of Patagonia.

All that the barren-ground caribou means YOUNG GUANACO. to the Indians and Eskimo of the Far North, the guanaco means to the Indian tribes of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego.

GUDGEON] It fills the position of universal provider, for they live upon its flesh, they clothe themselves in its pelt, and of this they also make their toldos or tents; they [From a drawing by Lady Helen Graham.

THE GUANACO SENTINEL. sew and join together with the sinews, and they have a hundred uses for the raw hide up to fashioning from it their favourite weapon, the boleadores.

Huge herds of guanaco, sometimes five hundred strong, wander over the pampas and high tablelands of the south, but they do not penetrate into the mountains of the western range. The young are brought forth in October, November, and in the extreme south even as late as December.

During the love season the bucks engage in long and fierce battles, which though noisy are seldom fatal, as, since they possess no horns, their weapons are limited to teeth and hoofs. At this season, too, the bucks of a herd form up and challenge the approaching hunter with stamping feet and snorting. Guanaco drop their dung at one place, and near such spots their wallows are to be found. In severe winters the mortality among these animals is very heavy; whole herds repair to the banks of some lake or river where the water is unfrozen and there die in numbers. Near Lake Viedma the writer counted over eighty skeletons within the area of a single acre.

Methods of Hunting. - To the hunter, guanaco often afford excellent sport, as in districts where they are constantly hunted they have become exceedingly cunning and wary. Near the east coast of Patagonia, among the sheep farms, they are easy of approach, for they become used to seeing the shepherds pass; but occasionally a big battue is organised to reduce their numbers, and after one of these they give the hunter a wide berth for a long time. The Tehuelche Indians hunt guanaco on horseback with hounds and boleadores, and always make a big day of it. An enormous round-up is arranged and is carried out in the following manner. The hunters in pairs, each with a led horse, spread themselves into an immense circle, in this way enclosing a vast amount of game. They then move inwards, lighting fires as they go, and thus scaring everything before them to mass in the centre of the circle. Besides large numbers of guanaco, rheas (rhea darwinii), pumas, and many smaller animals rush together in the general panic. The herds of guanaco, seeing fires and men on all sides, become distracted, and fall an easy prey to the Indians, who, leaping upon their led horses, massacre all they can reach. Numbers of female guanaco are killed in this manner when heavy with young, the skins of the unborn being much prized for the making of robes and capas.

The Tehuelche name for the guanaco is In Tierra del Fuego the Ona Indians have an entirely different method of hunting. Clothing themselves in guanaco skins, they creep on all fours circling a herd until they get near enough to kill with bow and arrow. Guanaco were once so numerous in Tierra del Fuego that the Government paid a reward for every animal destroyed. There are still quantities of them on many of the coast farms. rou.

GUDGEON.- H. HESKETH PRICHARD.

MEASUREMENTS, &c. -Length of head 4½ to 5, of caudal fin 5½, height of body 42 to 54 or even 6 times in the total length. [Photo. by W. B. and S. C. Johnson.

GUDGEON.

Eye-high up, in or slightly behind the middle of the length of the head, diameter 434 to 5 in the length of the head, 134 to 2 diameters from the end of the snout, and 1/2 apart: interorbital space flattened.

Dorsal profile much more convex than that of the abdomen, which is nearly horizontal.

Body compressed, becoming more so in its caudal portion. Snout somewhat obtuse.

Upper jaw the longer; the maxilla does not extend so far posteriorly as to beneath the front edge of the orbit. Barbels--one at the maxilla usually reaching to below the middle of the eye, but liable to variations in length. Fins-dorsal commences about the centre of the length of the fish, excluding the caudal fin: the length of its base nearly equals half its height; its first ray minute, of the body below it. Pectoral inserted in its third, which is undivided, the height the lower fourth of the body, as long as the head without the snout, and rounded at its extremity: it does not extend to so far as the ventral, which latter is still slightly shorter and does not reach the anal. Caudal deeply forked, with pointed lobes. Scales -large, and the exposed portion angular.

Lateral line-continuous to the middle of the base of the caudal fin. Colours-olive along the upper portion of the head and back, becoming silvery on the sides and beneath. Upper portion of the body with numerous irregular brown spots and dark edgings to the scales, and in the young a row of dark spots cross the lateral line; but in large specimens a wide silvery band runs along the side of the body, mostly above the lateral line: a dark mark under the eye and a few black spots in the pectoral region. Dorsal fin with several irregular rows of black spots, and similar ones exist on the lobes of the caudal fin most distinct externally. Young examples are darker than adults, and more blotched and spotted: a line of spots runs across the anal fin, while the ventral is dark tipped; opercle nearly black.

Day's British Fishes, vol. ii., p. 172.

GUEMAL (Chilian) (Xenelaphus bisulcus) Guemal (Peruvian) (Xenelaphus antisiensis). Distribution. These beautiful little deer are found along the range of the Andes from Peru to Patagonia, the Peruvian form being a smaller animal than the Patagonian sub-species, which also carries the finer horns. Dr. F. P. Moreno states that huemul or guemal were at one time to be found among the hills near Port Desire in Patagonia on the Atlantic coast, but it is probable that their range does not now extend further east than the shores of the Andean Lakes.

Habits. During the summer they are [GUEMAL driven from the warm lower valleys by myriads of flies, and ascend in some numbers to the edge of the snow-line. At this HEAD OF A GUEMAL. 3 season one rarely sees more than four or five animals together, but in winter, espe- HEAD OF PATAGONIAN GUEMAL. cially if the weather be more than usually severe, they appear to collect into small herds.

GUNS] They are excellent swimmers, and fearlessly take to the water to cross the arms of the great lakes. As a sporting animal, the guemal is very confiding, for white men seldom penetrate into its haunts about the Patagonian cordillera, while the Indians, for superstitious reasons, never approach the foothills. But in the few districts where guemal have been hunted, they become extremely wary. In the rutting season the bucks fight very savagely, and, owing to the shape and sharpness of their horns, these battles often terminate fatally for the vanquished.

Description. In December, the southern midsummer, the Chilian guemal are still shedding their winter coat, for some white hairs still show among the rich reddish- [From a drawing by Lady Helen Graham.

GUEMAL BUCK AND DOE. brown of their summer colouring. Nor are the antlers always free of velvet until the middle of the same month. Until recently it was supposed that a distinguishing feature of the guemal lay in the fact that each horn carried but two points. This view is certainly incorrect, for of the specimens obtained by the writer, four carried three points on one horn and two points on the other, while a head of eight points is said on excellent authority to have been killed near Lake San Martin, Patagonia.

Measurements. The greatest recorded length of horn is, for Patagonian specimens, 113/4 inches; for Peruvian, 9½ inches.

Height at shoulder, 36 to 40 inches; weight, about 160 lb. H. HESKETH PRICHARD.

GUNS.-BUYING A GUN. - No man can confidently choose a gun for another.

Nevertheless, modern improvements have made it possible for the experienced lookeron not only to detect the faults in a brother sportsman's shooting, but also their cause, whether they be attributable to the gun itself or to the action and methods of the person using it. Amongst the chief factors in remedying such defects are, first, the broken stock which most gunmakers now employ in order to ascertain the bend and cast necessary to suit the purchaser's shape and muscular development, and, secondly, the new shooting schools. As to the broken stock, it may be taken for granted that, given an experienced gunmaker and a customer more or less in the habit of handling a gun, a very close idea will be obtained of the weapon required, because the gun will be put up quickly and naturally at the object of aim the gunmaker's eye, for instanceand he will at once see where the fault lies and correct it. For many years this has been the only guide of the gunmaker, but it is far from infallible when an adult, who has never before handled a gun, takes it into his head that he will begin shooting, for he never puts up his gun twice alike, and, when shooting seriously, he generally describes an arc with it from the hip to the shoulder, which arc varies according to his equilibrium. Thus he not only shoots wide of his object, but is proportionately dangerous to his neighbours, to whom, not less than to the neophyte, the shooting schools have become a positive boon.

The large white walls crossed with wires, over which imitation partridges are propelled, form an excellent means of ascertaining the truth, and it is somewhat startling to see the black bouquet made by the shot on the white surface-feet, even yards, wide of the very visible bird.

To all beginners these schools cannot be too highly recommended as an easy means of acquiring a fixed habit of shooting, i.e., to make use of a regular movement of the arms and head in firing, and, as far as possible, to plant the legs firmly in such a position that the body can be turned sharply to right or left without rolling. To attain this result it is easy to see how necessary must be the perfect fit and adjustment of the gun to the shooter's formation.

Even to trained shots these schools are of the greatest use for the purpose of trying guns before they are quite finished off.

When the would-be purchaser has availed himself of the above two methods of testing his fire-arm, should he be a sportsman with experience acquired early in life, he will probably succeed in getting a gun that suits him. He will have gone through a careful examination of barrels, lock, action, and stock, and will as nearly as possible obtain his money's worth. But how to instruct the novice in his purchase? It may be that, once having satisfied himself that a gun suits him as to balance and bend, he will ask an expert friend to investigate its soundness. He will thus be able to make sure that the stock is of walnut; that no creak foreboding a probable rupture in hot shooting is to be heard in the neck; that no flaw is visible in the barrels, and that the locks are properly fixed. But how can even the most experienced tell for anybody else whether the triggers have the right pull, or even that they are the proper distance apart? This is a most essential point, for it often happens in heavy shooting that the recoil of the second barrel causes the front trigger to cut the first joint of the forefinger. Again, there is the setting of the trigger guard, which so often causes a swelling of the middle joint of the middle finger; either or both of these faults may put a man off his shooting for weeks. The novice must to a great extent buy his experience in this as in other pursuits. One season he will have to devote to shooting with the nearest approach obtainable to what suits him, and, as there are plenty of faddists who think it necessary to have new guns nearly every year, he should have no difficulty in getting a choice of second-hand articles at a reasonable price. From them he may pick out a pair fit to teach him what he needs, and open his eyes to the little miseries above enumerated, and perhaps many more. After this period of probation he may spend the next summer in obtaining his idea of perfection from one of the many excellent gunmakers to be found in London and other towns. He can then sell his trial guns, thus probably paying a less price for his experience than if he had begun by ordering a new pair.

As an instance of what good bargains may occasionally be picked up, I may mention that a friend of mine once imparted to me the longing of his heart for a good pair of guns, he having up to that time been shooting really well with a converted family gun which he had inherited. Asked how much he was prepared to give, he said he might go as far as £50, but could barely afford that sum. I took the measure of his stock and promised to see what could be done. In the course of the summer I found an excellent pair, and bought them-price £25 down and the other £25 on the first day of March following. Ten seasons afterwards I saw my friend heading the score, partridge-driving, with these same guns. [GUNS This, however, was all pure luck, as the only alteration required was a slight paring away of the stock, especially at the toe.

Now as to ammunition. For a beginner, there can be no doubt that the first consideration is a minimum of recoil and smoke. There is no powder which need be unduly extolled above its fellows, for there is none with which no fault can be found; but, in my opinion, the best for regularity of shooting is the black powder, but it has the great drawback of heavy smoke and a greater recoil than any other. It is, however, less affected than others by temperature and by shaking about in cartridge-bags. But now that we have been fairly initiated in the "Nitros," a sportsman must indeed be conservative who will use black powder in covert where there are rabbits, or even on the moors in damp muggy weather. A good gunmaker will have tested all powders and be in a position to recommend the good "brand" of the year. By his advice the novice had better be guided.

W. G. CRAVEN.

MECHANICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE SHOT GUN.-During the past halfcentury the shot gun has undergone considerable development, and a comparison of the typical weapon of to-day with the flint lock is like a comparison of the muzzleloading with quick-firing breech-loading artillery. Curiously enough, the evolution of the shot gun has proceeded hand in hand with that of the military rifle. Indeed, in many instances a new idea has been adopted and utilised in a gun for sporting purposes long before its possibilities in military operations were appreciated. Therefore, it may be truthfully said that the shot gun forms the stepping-stone to the higher service.

Ignition. The prototype of the modern shot gun was clumsy, heavy, and of uncertain action, depending as it did upon the production of a spark from the flint to flash the powder charge within the barrel. Moreover, the barrel itself was badly bored, and a hit at what to-day would be considered close range was then brought about more by luck than judgment. The crudity of the charge-igniting system as represented by the flint-lock was conducive to exasperating miss-fires, and although attempts to mitigate this evil were made by introducing two barrels set side by side, such were only partially successful. Gunsmiths concentrated their energies upon the elimination of this decided defect, but the chemical knowledge of the day failed to bring about any practical substitute for the flint. Even GUNS] when at last inventive effort was successful, the new principle evoked such hostile opposition as required over a quarter of a century to break it down.

By a strange irony of fate the invention which provoked this prejudice, which ultimately revolutionised the whole art of gunnery in all its varied ramifications, and which still ranks as the greatest invention in the history of firearms, was effected by a Scottish clergyman, the Rev. Alexander Forsyth. As a result of his investigations and experiments, he was able to detonate the gunpowder charge in the barrel by the blow from the hammer falling upon an agent consisting of fulminate of mercury associated with other substances. The novelty of his invention, which was patented in 1807, was seriously assailed when its possibilities were at last realised, but the courts upheld the reverend minister's claims, and declared the patent, in so far as it referred to firearms, to be a master.

Forsyth, unable to induce other gunsmiths to exploit his invention, established his own business, and sedulously set to work to wear down the opposition to the new idea. He built a gun-the first percussion weaponwhich was decidedly novel and ingenious. The detonating agent was carried in a rotating primer, which, when brought to the correct position, dropped a small quantity of the fulminate compound into the touch hole, and this was detonated by the fall of a striker rod when released by the trigger.

Breech-loaders. At the time of Forsyth's discovery another important development was making slow headway. In 1664 an Englishman, Abraham Hall, secured a patent for a breech-loading weapon, but here again the idea was born long before its time. For over a hundred years nothing more was heard of this principle until it was resuscitated by the ingenious arm devised by Lieut.-Colonel Ferguson. No appreciable headway was made with this type, however, for many years, mainly for the that the problem of combining primer and cartridge defied solution. With the invention of Forsyth's fulminating powder and firing by percussion, the possibility of achieving the desired end was rendered more feasible, and great activity was exemplified in the search for the breechloader, especially among the gunsmiths of Paris. In this quest many highly original and novel ideas were worked out, and in some cases there were crudely introduced certain details of mechanism which are considered indispensable to-day. reason The problem may be considered as solved in 1847, when Houillier, of Paris, patented the first "gas-tight" or pin-fire cartridge.

True, it was somewhat clumsy, since ignition was brought about by the hammer striking the end of a piece of wire, which extended right through the cartridge, against the inner surface of the metal cap of a wad placed at the base of the cartridge, the fulminate being detonated by such action and the cartridge fired. In its first stage the JOSEPH LANG & SON NOS I THE LANG SIMPLE THUMB-LOCK PLATE. idea was somewhat primitive, but it was taken up and developed by Lefaucheux, of Paris, and this eminent gunsmith is really "The Father of the Hammerless Ejector Gun," which is so popular among sportsmen to-day, for his weapon possessed all the essential features of the latter arm.

On the Continent and abroad, the new method of loading guns at the breech caught the public fancy, and it rapidly displaced the system which hitherto had been advocated as superior. But in this country its introduction by Joseph Lang in 1857 met with even more strenuous opposition than did Forsyth's percussion system half a century previous. Many English gunsmiths pointblank refused to entertain it, and in their attitude were supported by many experts and a section of the Press. Its drawbacks were set out at very great length and in detail, the dangers attending the use of the cartridges and the extreme care that had to be exercised in handling them being particularly emphasised. It was urged that loading a gun at the breech was conducive to bursting to a greater extent than with the muzzle-loader, that such a weapon was not so durable or reliable, was deficient in hitting power and accuracy of aim, was heavier, more liable to get out of order, gave a heavier recoil, produced a louder report, and so on. No effort was spared to decry the introduction of the idea into this country, but its fame had spread from the Continent, and as one authoritative paper which took up the cudgels for the breechloader pointed out, it was simply absurd to pooh-pooh the invention." Of all the THE LANG SINGLE-TRIGGER SYSTEM. a objections levelled against the newcomer, however, only two could really be maintained, and these were in regard to accuracy in aim and hitting power, and the liability of the gases to escape through the joints of the breech mechanism. With regard to the first defect, this was merely a matter of manufacture, for the new breech system was at first fitted to the existing muzzleloading barrels, when, as a matter of fact, as short experience proved, the breechloading, gas-tight cartridge required distinct barrel and special boring accommodated to its use. The objection in the second case was more serious, and although great ingenuity was displayed towards its elimination, no real success was achieved, owing to the disadvantage being inherent to the principle, until the central fire cartridge was introduced in the early 'fifties by Charles Lancaster. This provided a cartridge which could be easily and quickly slipped into the barrel, and its advantage was so readily grasped that the pin-fire mechanism soon fell into desuetude. fact, a great measure of credit is due to Lancaster, for his invention resulted in a great impetus being imparted to the popular movement in favour of the breech-loader.

In Hammerless Guns. At about the time when the central-fire cartridge was brought into vogue, the hammerless gun made its appearance, whereby the action and mechanism of the gun was greatly simplified. Then came the mechanical ejector, dispensing with the necessity of withdrawing spent cartridges by hand. It is from this point that the modern shot gun may be said to commence, for to-day the hammerless gun [GUNS fitted with mechanical extractors is in universal use.

The principle of the mechanism of the breech-loading weapon designed for sporting purposes is totally different from that of the service arm. Whereas the latter has the sliding bolt action, whereby the breech is closed and opened, the former has what is known as the "dropdown" action.

Lefaucheux introduced it three-quarters of a century ago, and although dozens of patents have been taken out in this direction, every maker modifying the idea in some point or another to secure individual protection, in one and all the action is fundamentally the same. The gun is hinged so that the barrels may be bent down exposing the breech, hence the description "drop down." The broad lines of the design of such action comprise the use of a small section of steel, called the "lump," which is securely fastened to the breech end of the barrels on the underside. There is a pin which hinges the forward end of this lump to the corresponding part of the breech-piece, and on the hinge thus formed the barrels are moved to open and close LE THE MANIPULATION OF THE WINCHESTER MAGAZINE, SHOWING THE PUMP ACTION FOR INSERTING CARTRIDGE INTO BREECH. the breech. In most cases the lump is cut into two divisions or short arms, which fit into recesses in the breech-piece, while both parts have means for engaging one another, being held by suitable means, this locking action holding the barrels tight in the closed GUNS] position. Additional solidity is secured by an extension of the top-rib, fashioned in some special manner to engage and lock in a slot in the breech piece. By the introduction of the hammerless action, whereby the hammers, instead of being outside the lock plate, were let into slots in the breech piece, one conspicuous improvement was achieved. The process of opening the breech to re-load now automatically cocked the hammers ready for firing.

This automatic action was patented by Anson and Deeley, and first introduced in 1875 by Westley Richards. Its ingenuity appealed to sportsmen, for it was found that cocking was possible with greater facility and rapidity than hitherto. The inventors also introduced an automatic means of locking the triggers in the cocked position when reloading was being effected.

This required a definite action to bring about their release before firing, and although it was merely a slight movement, possible with the thumb, it yet completely guarded against the element of danger. A general movement in the direction of this patent was made by every gunsmith, and many and varied have been the methods adopted to secure the automatic cocking of the arm as it is reloaded by the dropdown action. Consequently, the arrangement has now become universal. In the higher priced guns, however, the Purdey system has obtained an extensive vogue. In this idea cocking during the process of loading is secured by means of the mainspring and a cam, the mainspring being compressed for firing by the action of closing the gun.

This action demands extreme care and precision in manufacture, so for the most part it is confined to expensive weapons.

In connection with the locking of the barrels with the breech-piece, so as to secure rigid locking and solidity of the weapon, the Purdey bolt has also played a conspicuous part. The lump and the breech-piece are notched, and when the gun is shut the Purdey bolt snaps, locking the two firmly together. On the top of the gun is a lever, and when this is pushed to the right the Purdey locking bolt is released simultaneously with any gripping device working in conjunction with the rib tongue-locking, so that the barrels may drop down. The mechanism is extremely simple and positive in its action. In days gone by many greatly desired improvements were only obtainable in many instances at the cost of complication, but since the introduction of the hammerless system extreme simplicity has been the trend of inventive effort and improvement.

Ejectors. It may be confidently asserted, however, that while Lefaucheux's weapon was the progenitor of the hammerless ejector gun, it was the Anson and Deeley invention which perfected it, and the latter system is now universally adopted in all breech-loading weapons of the ordinary type. Innumerable patents have been drawn up in connection with this action, and dozens of improvements are still filed every year, but these relate merely to small details, and do not vitally affect the fundamental basis of the action, which is still retained. Still, these minor improvements are of distinct value in themselves, tending as they do towards greater safety in handling the weapon, and offering safeguards against accidental discharge. Especially noticeable are the improvements in regard to the THE ANSON-DEELEY EJECTOR SYSTEM. ejector mechanism, whereby the spent cartridge is mechanically expelled from the breech at the moment of opening. Similarly, should one barrel be undischarged as the breech is opened, the loaded cartridge is withdrawn for some distance to avoid accidental discharge. There are many types of ejectors on the market, but here again they all essentially depend upon the idea introduced by Deeley. There is the lever or kicker which engages with the rimmed base of the cartridge, actuated by a simple V spring which comes automatically into action as the barrels are dropped down, and thus forces the spent cartridge from the barrel, finally ejecting it clear of the arm.

It is obvious that this requisite action can be carried out in a variety of ways, and, indeed, every leading gunsmith has patented his own special device for achieving the object. It is essential, however, in order to secure the greatest measure of success, that the number of integral parts of the mechanism should be reduced to the minimum to secure immunity against derangement, and at the same time avoid the possibility of a miss-fire occurring through the hammer, when fired, fouling the ejector mechanism. Notwithstanding the numerous ejectors that have been evolved, Deeley's idea is still considered the most efficient, durable, and reliable, and for this reason is generally incorporated by the firms engaged in the manufacturing of guns upon an extensive scale.

Among the many detailed improvements that have been consummated during the past few years in the gun-firing mechanism, the Lang detachable side lock stands pre- [GUNS more rapid fire, since obviously it does not require so long to give two distinct pulls to one trigger as to move the finger from one trigger to the other. The essential principle of such a system is the arrest of a sliding piece in the forward movement produced by the first pull of the trigger, by an interceptor, which holds the piece in THE EDWINSON-GREEN THREE-BARRELLED SHOT GUN. eminent. It is the acme of simplicity, for it provides a means of detaching the locks without the aid of a tool of any description, for there are no pins, screws, or bolts to turn or draw. There is merely a thumblever lying flush with the external surface of the lock-plate. This is raised with the thumb-nail, and the lock is then automatically detached. To replace, the lock is simply re-inserted, and with slight pressure the fastener "snaps home," the thumb lever automatically returning flush with the lockplate. The system is applicable to either double- or single-trigger guns with equal facility, and each lock can be moved independently. The most salient feature is the impossibility of replacing the lock in any but the correct position, irrespective of the position of the cocking rod. Furthermore, as the system is absolutely fool-proof, damage to the mechanism is out of the question. a Single-trigger Guns. The hammerless ejector double gun, which has become the standard sporting weapon, underwent further development a few years ago by the introduction of a single trigger for firing both barrels. The system was advanced mainly for the purpose of securing check at the moment when there is a slight involuntary pull on the trigger, caused by the rebound of the gun from the shoulder, after the first barrel has been fired. The sliding-piece then still moves forward, enabling the second barrel to be fired. It will be seen that with a single-trigger gun three pulls are imparted to the trigger, one of which is involuntary, and is attributable to the effects of recoil. It is obvious that, to avoid confusion or inadvertent fire, and to enable the mechanism after discharging the one barrel to come into position for firing the second, this involuntary pull must be nullified, and at the same time turned to useful advantage, and this has afforded scope for considerable ingenuity to a common end. The effect of this is revealed in the records of the Patent Office, where a wide variety of single-trigger systems may be perused. But the desired end is achieved by either one of three methods: the sliding bar, which is the simplest and most generally adopted, the swinging lever, and the revolving turret. One and all, however, are open to the same objection; to secure reliability and efficiency, the adjustment must be the most accurate possible, so that satisfaction cannot be ob- GUNS] Three-barrelled Guns. - The singletrigger weapon is but a reversion to a former idea, and another reversion can be tained from ought but the higher-priced weapons, produced by responsible firms.

Here again the simpler the action the greater the success. The Edwinson-Green was one of the first weapons of this type to be placed on the market, and the originality and serviceability of its system soon served to educate sportsmen to the advantages of the single-trigger weapon, especially the application of the ordinary thumb safety slide to alter the order of firing the barrels, so that the left barrel could be discharged first, or vice versa. Certainly, the principle has served to overcome one of the greatest drawbacks of the twin-trigger gun to the sportsman, i.e., bruising of the finger caused by the recoil from the front trigger when the second barrel was fired. The advantage of more rapid fire was also realised, and it has been found that, since the hand need not be moved, as it must be in the twin-trigger system, greater accuracy is secured. These are admittedly conspicuous advantages, but at the same time there are certain drawbacks which cannot be overlooked. In the first place the mechanism must perforcedly be more delicate than the twin-trigger system, inasmuch as the movement of the finger necessary in the latter system has to be replaced by sensitive mechanical action, and it does not require much to disorganise a single-trigger action.

Oil gumminess, for instance, will soon throw it out of gear. Then, again, it requires a certain amount of skill to handle a singletrigger weapon, especially if one has been wedded very long to the ordinary type. In fact, some sportsmen can never handle it, as they experience an irresistible desire to WINCHESTER THADE MASS THE WINCHESTER TAKEN DOWN. chronicled in regard to the three-barrelled weapon. In the olden days three- and fourbarrelled guns were placed on the market, but they were so cumbersome and unwieldy that they met with but slight popularity. But greater success has attended the Edwinson-Green three-barrel hammerless weapon for grouse, partridge, pheasant, and rabbit drives. The objections concerning complication of mechanism incidental to the introduction of the third barrel have been ingeniously overcome, and there is no doubt but that among a certain class of sportsmen the three-barrelled weapon will have a successful vogue. The three barrels form a triangle, and a single-trigger system is adopted. The sighting is taken along the top barrel for all three barrels, and certainly the arrangement adopted gives a quicker and better aim. The ejectors work independently of one another, and only expel the fired cases, otherwise working in exactly the same manner as the extractors in an ordinary gun in regard to unfired cartridges.

The disposition of the barrels gives the weapon a symmetrical and compact appear- THE MAGAZINE AND BREECH OF THE BROWNING AUTOMATIC SHOT GUN. hug the trigger, and will consequently waste the second shot. Care should be observed when one is selecting a single-trigger weapon to ascertain that the second or involuntary pull is effectually prevented, otherwise the sportsman would succeed better with a single-barrelled weapon. In the hands of an accomplished shot, however, the single trigger is an excellent arm, and the increased rapidity of fire is decidedly appreciated. ance, and the balancing is so perfect that the gun "comes up" as nicely as the conventional double barrel. Rapidity of fire is solely dependent upon the speed with which the sportsman can pull the trigger, and the pulls are clean and quick. On grounds where the birds lie thick, or for duck-shooting, it is an excellent weapon, and it has been found that one pair of triple guns and one loader will do more effective work than three double-barrelled guns and two loaders. Certainly the objections as to weight and complication, however true of the old-fashioned weapon, cannot be levied against this latest development in sporting guns, for its handiness is its most conspicuous feature. as Repeating Guns. While the hammerless ejector gun may be described as the favourite sporting weapon of the old world, the repeating system is universal in America.

In fact, the development of this weapon has proceeded in its home contemporaneously with the evolution of our arm. This perfection has been principally attained through the inventive effort of Mr. J. M. Browning, who is responsible for no less than sixteen inventions in regard to repeater firearms.

The most popular arm of this type is the Winchester repeater, which made its appearance in 1886. This arm has a single barrel, but underneath is a tubular magazine which carries four, five, or more cartridges. The cartridges are disposed in a continuous row, and as the one at the breech end is withdrawn and fed into the barrel, the succeeding cartridge in the magazine is pushed towards the breech by a strong spiral spring. The mechanism is very simple, and of such a character as to lend itself to standardisation of parts, so that the gun can be marketed very cheaply. The repeating shot guns of this make are produced in two types, the IO gauge, 6 shots, lever action, and the 1897 model of 12 and 16 gauge with sliding forearm action. The two latter are also made in what is known as the "Take Down" style. In the lever action, the finger lever is made separate from the breechblock, and has a finger-lever lock. When the action is closed, the gun is locked against opening by this finger-lever lock, but is instantly released by a downward pressure on the finger-lever. This lever action is very simple. The magazine is loaded by throwing down the lever and pushing five cartridges through the carrier into the magazine, the sixth being placed in the chamber. The forward and backward motion of the finger-lever, which is effected while the gun is at the shoulder, ejects the spent cartridge, withdraws another cartridge from the magazine by the carrier, raises it, forces it home in the chamber, and drops again to pick up the succeeding cartridge, while the one in the barrel is fired, when the same cycle of operations is repeated. The sliding forearm action is different, and there is a lock which can be opened either by recoil or at the will of the user. In the slide handle, and acting against the stop on the magazine, is a spring. When the gun is closed, this spring pushes against [GUNS the forward end of the action slide, and presses it toward the stock. In the carrierblock is hung a somewhat elastic pivoted lever; when the slide handle is pressed forward, a spring under the lever forces the forward end of the lever out, and it catches against the notch in the action slide. When the hammer stands at full cock, or at half cock, the forward end of the lever is forced outward and holds the slide fast. When the hammer has fallen, the rear portion of the lever is sprung outward by the lower portion of the hammer, the spring in the slidehandle holding the notch in the action slide in engagement with the forward end of the lever. If the user is not holding forward on the slide-handle, the gun cannot be opened until a slight outward movement of the slide-handle releases the lever. Then it may be opened by pulling back the slidehandle. When firing, the recoil of the gun releases the lever and enables the gun to be opened. The result of this arrangement is that the gun cannot be opened normally until the cartridge is fired, but, on the other hand, with the hammer down, it can be opened almost instantly without firing by a slight forward and then reverse motion of the slide handle. The gun has double extractors, one on the left-hand side guiding the bolt so as to enable it to fit closely in the frame and producing a tight breech. The movable cartridge-guide is placed on the right side of the carrier block, and this cartridge guide has such a motion that, in connection with the overhanging of the frame, the side opening of the gun is so covered at the moment the cartridge is lifted from the magazine by the carrierblock that the escape of the charge is prevented when the gun is turned sideways in the act of loading. The magazine carries five cartridges, which, with another charge in the barrel, provide the sportsman with six shots at one load. The backward and forward motion of the action-slide carries the cartridge from the magazine, raises it, and inserts it in the barrel. The arrangement of the firing-pin also is such that, acting at the first opening motion of the carrier, the pin stands locked at all times, except when the gun is closed and ready for firing.

The "Take Down" type of this model is of very simple design. There is an interrupted screw by means of which the barrel with the magazine is connected to the stock or receiver. All that is necessary is to grip the two parts tightly, give a quarter turn, and the barrel, magazine, and action-slide come away in one piece, and the stock and action of the gun in the other. No parts can drop out of either piece, the integral GUNS] mechanism of the action-slide being held together at the breech end by a ring called the receiver extension. To replace, it is only necessary to give the two parts a quarter turn in the reverse direction, and the arm is ready for use. Taking down and putting together can be effected as quickly as quickly as loading the gun, for it is very simple and easy. Not only does this render the arm more convenient to pack and carry, but it admits of barrels of different lengths and varying styles of bore to be interchanged to meet any special requirements. The great rapidity of fire possible with the repeater system, together with the fact that six shots are possible with a single load, appealed to many, and the Winchester has become universally adopted in North set to work to adapt the same idea to the shot gun, and this has now been perfected, while another inventor, Sjögren, a Swede, working in the same field, has produced another weapon of the same type. The auto-loading sporting guns represent the latest developments in small arms, and their advantages cannot fail to appeal to sportsmen, especially those who have become familiar with the repeater.

In these arms all the outstanding features of the various guns are incorporated, and other improvements introduced to advantage. The whole of the operations of opening the breech, ejecting the spent shell, inserting a fresh cartridge, cocking the hammer, closing and locking the breech, are done automatically by one agent-the recoil. 66 THE BROWNING AUTOMATIC GUN LOADING MECHANISM.

America, and has a great vogue in the Colonies. In this country, however, the Pump Gun," as it is colloquially called, from its sliding action, has not become very popular. It does not compare with the hammerless ejector gun for all-round service and utility, but the rapidity of fire, which becomes very pronounced when one has mastered the knack of handling the gun (though to achieve this calls for considerable practice), is a distinctly attractive feature. The repeating firearm possesses one drawback, and that is the fact that loading has to be carried out by a forward or backward motion with either the right or left hand, which is apt to prove a disturbing factor in the hands of all but the most expert, as the aim can be easily and unconsciously interrupted. Automatic Guns. It is for this reason that the repeating firearm is being displaced by a powerful rival, the automatic system, wherein loading is carried out entirely by the effort of the recoil, as in the modern service arm. J. M. Browning, actuated by the unique success which attended the introduction of his self- or auto-loading pistol, Hitherto the "kick" of the gun has been wasted, the only sufferer being the sportsman, who realises only too well the effects thereof by the bruising of his shoulder. By pressing the recoil to useful work, a great proportion of its vicious energy is absorbed, and the sportsman is spared considerable discomfort. Indeed, in the Sjögren gun, kick may be said to be completely eliminated, so advantageously is it used. The result is that the user has nothing to do but to keep pulling the trigger, rapidity of firing being entirely governed by the user's skill. The result is that the aim is not disturbed, and greater accuracy is ensured.

In the new Browning weapon the receiver is solid on top, rendering it weatherand dust-proof, and it is perfectly solid in the rear. The breech body does not slide out, so there is no opening of any kind whatever in the rear, through which gases and so forth can be driven into the operator's face. Premature discharge of the cartridge is quite impossible before the breech is closed and locked. As the barrel recoils backward with the breech closed and locked, the hammer is cocked, and the link prevents it from coming into contact with the firing-pin until the loaded cartridge is inserted and the breech closed and locked.

After firing, directly the breech commences to move, the firing-pin is withdrawn by the locking-block, and cannot possibly touch the primer until the breech is closed and locked.

Again, before the breech is unlocked, the safety-sear engages the trigger, so that the [GUNS jarred off when not locked. The vital factor of safety has thus been well thought out.

After the discharge the barrel and breechbolt, locked together, recoil to the limit of their backward travel, compressing the recoil and action springs, and cocking the hammer. At this point the carrier dog engages the operating slide. The recoil 12 68. 10 13 38 64 FIG. 1. 14, 46, 135 11 52 25 57 24 72 73. 32 75 8 1 76 71 17 65 62 63 61 6 22 2155 23 34 49 40 43 48 53 54 41 a 3 44 A 5652 35 64 FIG. III. 9 20 18 69 68 10 FIG. II. 64 Q 39 31 41a 12 a 33 43' 34' 46 9 56 72 5 34 71 65 63: 62 :61 47/ 42 45 426 50 51 42c 44 60 Section through A-B Magazine, open and closed.

FIG. IV 32 31 21 FIG. V 32 31 28 79 29 180 78 78:30 '79 80 5 70 10 17 69 30 79 30 78 FIG VI. 15 28 29 80 2017 33 31 18 34' 30 '32 74-- 75 59 27 58 :72 B MECHANISM OF THE BROWNING AUTOMATIC SHOT GUN. 9, Breech Bolt. 10, Locking Block. 11, 12, Link 1-4, Receiver and Parts. 5-8, Magazine Spring Cap, Spring, and Spring Retainer. and Pin. 13, 14, Striker and Striker Stop Pin. 15, 16, Left Extractor and Spring. 17, Extractor Pins. 18, 19, Right Extractor and Spring. 20, Operating Slide. 21-23, Locking Block Latch, Spring, and Pin. 24-27, Action Spring, Follower, Plug, and Pin. 28, 29, Cartridge Stop and Spring. 30, Screw for same. 31, Carrier Latch Button. 32, 33, Carrier Latch and Spring. 34, Carrier. 35-40, Carrier Dog, Spring, Follower, Pin, Screw, and Spring. 41, Trigger Guard. 42A, Safety . 42B, Safety Pin. 42C, Safety Pin and Spring. 43, Trigger. 44, 45, Trigger Pin and Spring. 46, Hammer. 47, 48, Hammer, Roller, and Pin. 49, Hammer Pin. Main Spring and Screw. 52-54, Safety Sear, Spring, and Pin. 55, 56, Trigger Guard Front and Back Screws. 57, Stock. 58, 59, Heel Plate and Screw. 60, Lever Strap Screw. 61, Recoil Spring. 62, 63 , Friction -piece and Spring . 64, 65, Barrel and Guiding Ring. 66, 67, Fore Sight. 68, Breech. 69, 70, Ejector and Rivet. 71, Foreend Hand Guard . 71A-71C, Parts of Magazine Cap. 72, Magazine Cap. 73-5-74-5, Sling and Eye. 78-80, Cut-off to Magazine, Spring, and Screw. hammer cannot possibly be snapped until the breech is closed and locked. A very strong locking-block is used to lock the breech-bolt, and the "spring" in the breech is decreased owing to the locking-block being brought near the head of the cartridge. Consequently, the possibility of the rupturing of the head of the cartridge by the discharge is very remote. Also there is a safety catch conveniently placed in the trigger guard where it cannot be moved accidentally. It locks the trigger securely, and the cartridge cannot be accidentally fired by a jolt, nor can the trigger be spring now moves the barrel forward, unlocking and opening the breech, and ejecting the empty shell. The carrier latch is tripped by a cartridge lifted from the magazine, which is then slipped into the chamber, the breech is closed and locked by the action spring, and the gun is ready for firing. The gun is fitted with two extractors which positively withdraw the shell, even if the head be broken on one side. The magazine carries four cartridges, which, with another in the barrel, give five shots at the user's command at a single loading. When the last cartridge is fired, the breech remains GUNS] open. Cartridges can be inserted in the magazine at any time when the breech is closed, and whether the gun is loaded or not.

Similarly, the cartridge can be withdrawn from the chamber without emptying the magazine. The arm is also made in the "Take Down" style, the barrel coming easily away from the stock, gun action, and magazine. This enables one to change from a full or modified choke bore for field, duck, and trap shooting to a cylinder bore for snap brush shooting. Replacing the one another. The barrel always thus maintains its one position, and it is the breech closure only which is affected by the force of the recoil. The modus operandi of this system is based upon a very simple principle-the tendency of a body not in movement to remain at rest. When the gun is fired it immediately recoils. This arm is fitted with a heavy movable breech-bolt cover held in position in its guides by springs. This cover, being a body not in movement, retains by its own inertia its 74 255 75 76- 28 7 9 26 6 15 50 42 21 41 61 25 14 16 59 35 44 70 1218 43 34 63 37 54 32 7762-8 39 36 30 33 9 73 64 133 49 57 52 11 20 68 60 19- 5 56 14 4 3 63 18 22 40 21 48 67 3 22 34 akser D --65 38 78- 79-80 66 37- 93 71 18 37 56 195 57 3 23 24 69 10 15 21 6 16 25 41 42 46 45 72 17 3 63 51 55 74 9 35 28 53 34 37 727 58 20 11 52 65- 43 12 54 --19 5 47 38- 66 78 80-79 29 31 10 36 832 62 64 COMPONENT PARTS OF THE NORMAL AUTOMATIC SHOT GUN. (SJÖGREN SYSTEM.) J, Barrel. 2, Fixing-piece for Barrel. 3, Receiver. 4, Breech Bolt Cover. 5, Trigger-Guard. 6, Breech-Bolt. 7, Bolt-Lock. 8, Front Band. 9, Back Band or Receiver Extension. 10, Lock for No. 26 and No. 19. 11, Carrier. 12, Switch for No. II. 13, Cartridge-Stop. 14, Striker Cocking-piece. 15, Striker. 16, Nut for Striker. 17, Cartridge-Ejector. 18, False Breech. 19, Trigger. 20, Carrier-Latch. 21, Saddle. 22, Screw Plug for Closing-Spring. 23, Closing-Spring Piston. 24, Tongue for No. 23. 25, Striker-Pawl. 26, Adjusting-Sleeve of the Barrel. 27, Sear. 28, Cartridge-Extractor. e-Extractor. 29, Magazine-Tube Latch Pin. 30, Magazine-Tube. 31, Screw-Lock for No. 30. 32, Magazine-Nut. 33, Magazine-Spring Piston. 34, Safety-Slide. 35, Safety Slide-Connection. 36, Fore-end. 37, Stock. 38, Butt-Plate. 39, Magazine-Spring. 40, Closing-Spring. 41, Recoil- Spring. 42, Main-Spring. 43, False Breech Spring. 44-51, Spring for Parts 11 and 3, 28, 17, 27, 4 and 67, 11 and 20, 25, 29. 52, Cartridge Carrying Spring. 53, Spring for Parts 34 and 35. 54, Cross-Screw. 55-58, Screw for Parts 8 and 2, 5 and 3 (long), 5 and 3 (right, short), 5 and 3 (left, short). 59-64, Screw for Parts 11, 19, 25, 8, 9, 30 and 32. 65-66, Wooden Screws for Butt Plate. 67, Locking-Pin for the Striker Cocking-piece. 68-72, Pins for 11 and 20, 23 and 24, 15 and 16, 14, 28. 73, Stop-Pin for No. 3. 74, Front Sight. 75-77, Front Sling-Strap Ring. 78-80, Back Sling-Strap Ring. barrel is just as simple, and no matter how often one may "take down," the barrel never becomes shaky. Rapidity of fire, as already explained, is governed simply by the ability of the user; the more quickly he can pull the trigger, the more rapid the fire, and a firing speed of five shots in four seconds is normal for the average sportsman.

In the Sjögren auto-loading gun the various operations are carried out by the superfluous power of the cartridge, but the utilisation of the recoil is peculiarly ingenious. Instead of the barrel with its breechbolt being driven backwards by the force of the recoil and action springs, the recoil spring subsequently returning the barrel to its normal position, in the Sjögren system barrel and stock are immovably attached to VOL. II position while the rest of the gun travels backwards, although it actually appears to lurch or plunge forwards. The real movement, however, is on the part of the gun, which thrusts back, and the cover thus left behind through its own inertia compresses a powerful recoil spring placed in front of it, and at the same time re-cocks the striker.

At this juncture the slipping of the gun away from under the bolt-cover becomes partially arrested, and the recoil spring exerting its effort commences to thrust the cover back to its original position. In this action the breech-bolt becomes unbolted for the first time, and the cover in the continuation of its travel then carries the bolt with it, and in so doing the latter extracts the spent cartridge from the chamber, and the ejector expels it. In the meantime a fresh cartridge has been supplied from the magazine, and the backward motion continues until the cover has compressed the closing spring and is stopped by a solid surface which is called the "false breech." The cartridge-stop controlling the carrier which raises the cartridge issuing from the magazine also participates in this action. The cartridge releases the carrier latch, which in its normal position obstructs the return of the breech-block cover to its closed position. Consequently, if the magazine be empty, the breech cannot close. Otherwise the cover is carried home by the closing spring, and the gun is ready for firing. The action of the mainspring, owing to the short travelling distance of the striker, is very rapid, and the trigger pull is light and crisp.

The magazine carries four cartridges, and another is inserted in the chamber, so that five shots are available with a single loading.

Adequate precautions have been incorporated to prevent accidental discharge. When the cocking-piece is up, the breechbolt cover is bolted and cannot be drawn back. The trigger is also inoperative, and the striker is retracted in the breech-bolt, so that it cannot reach the cap of the cartridge. Moreover, the line of sight is obscured. When a fresh cartridge is being slipped into the chamber, the striker is again withdrawn into the breech-bolt, and cannot be released until the bolt is right home and locked. In addition, there is the usual safety-bolt placed where the top lever would be if such were used and operated in the general manner. The gun can be taken down in accordance with the usual practice without dismounting any parts. There is a spring at the front end of the magazine, which is depressed, and at the same time a knurled knob on the magazine is given a quarter turn to the left. Then, by giving the barrel a quarter turn, it can be taken off. To replace the gun the same operations are carried out in the reverse order. The gun takes a 12-bore cartridge, and the effect of recoil will be found so reduced as to be practically non-existent. The mechanism of this gun is based upon an entirely new and ingenious idea, and the sportsman will not fail to be impressed by the easy smoothness of the whole action. The rapidity of fire is very great, and in the hands of an expert some astonishing results have been obtained.

FRED. A. TALBOT. [See also RIFLES.] Bibliography. The Gun and its Development (Greener); Modern Shot-Guns (Greener); Guns and Shooting Instructions (Hawker); Modern [HARE Sportsman's Gun and Rifle, 2 vols. (Walsh); American Inventions and Improvements in Breech-loading, Small Arms, &c. (General Norton); A Century of Guns (Blanch).

GYMNASTICS.-[See CULTURE.] PHYSICAL HARE. The genus Lepus includes about twenty species, which are restricted chiefly to the Palæarctic and Nearctic regions, although one (Lepus brasiliensis) is found Distribution. - It occurs throughout in South America. The common brown hare (Lepus timidus) may be regarded as typical of the genus, and is characterised chiefly by the great length of the ears and hind-limbs.

Europe, except in the north of Russia and in Scandinavia, although found in Denmark and East Finland. Its absence from Scandinavia renders it possible that the name timidus was applied by Linnæus to the mountain hare, generally known as Lepus variabilis, and some writers accordingly employ the specific name Europæus in preference. The hare of Sardinia has been described as a distinct species, Lepus mediterraneus. Colour. The fur is usually of a sandy colour, greyer in winter, interspersed with long black hairs which, being set close along the dorsal surface, cause it to look blacker on the back than elsewhere, the upper surface of the short tail and the tips of the ears being also black. The under parts are pure white. The colour of the fur differs, however, in different latitudes and at different seasons of the year, showing a tendency to become white in winter in northern latitudes, while assuming a reddish-yellow hue in the more genial climate of South Europe, where in winter its prevailing tint is grey.

Varieties. Beyond the change which takes place in summer and winter, it may be said that the common brown hare is not subject to much variation in colour, although at rare intervals grey, sandy (or yellow, without any black hairs), parti-coloured, white, and even black varieties have been seen and procured.

At Tillyfour in Aberdeenshire and in the Isle of Mull a large yellow variety with hazel eye, and weighing about 10 lb., has been noticed. (The Field, October 31 and November 21, 1896.) In January, 1903, Mr. R. Notman, a gamekeeper who had been for fourteen years in the Isle of Mull, reported the occasional occurrence there of large buffcoloured hares, and expressed the opinion that the variation of colour was due to the HARE] interbreeding of the Scotch hare (Lepus variabilis) with some that had been introduced into Mull from Ireland. A grey variety of the common hare has been occasionally noticed in Norfolk, examples of which have been shot at Burnham, Sutton near Wells, near Cromer, and near Scole (Zoologist, 1865, p. 9646; 1866, p. 385); see also Gurney, Trans. Norf. Nat.

Hist. Soc., vol. i. p. 26, who mentions a variety of the ordinary colour with the face white. A hare with the head, shoulders, and fore-limbs white was shot on the estate of Col. R. P. Davis near Walton-on-the- Naze on December 1, 1909.

In January, 1865, a parti-coloured hare was killed near Salisbury. It was unusually white all over the face, and its hind-quarters were of a silvery grey. Its pale colour could not be attributed to age, for it was a young animal, weighing about 52 lb. On March 5, 1866, a hare was killed at Stalham, Norfolk, which was peculiarly marked by having a large patch of white on the forehead, extending from the tip of the nose to the base of the ears, the remainder of the fur being of the usual colour. In October, 1882, Mr. J. Whitaker, of Rainworth, near Mansfield, shot a hare which had three of her legs white as far up as the first joint, the fourth (a hind one) being white up to the body. She had also a white stripe on her side.

Daniel, in his Rural Sports (vol. i. p. 446, and Suppl. p. 694), mentions several instances of white hares; and Scott, in his British Field Sports (p. 361), gives an account of a coursed hare which was said to have become white from fright!

A writer in the Sporting Magazine of 1802 reported that on September 14 of that year, in the parish of Chudleigh, Devonshire, a pure white hare was hunted and killed by a pack of harriers belonging to that town, and was presented to Lord Clifford of Ugbrook as lord of the manor on which the hare was killed.

In December, 1854, an albino hare was shot at Trebarrow, near Dolsdown, Cornwall, by Mr. Southby, of Cambridge Terrace, Hyde Park, who had it preserved as a curiosity. Another albino was shot by Mr. H. M. Spurling in North Devon, and was preserved by Rowland Ward, in October, 1884.

In January, 1875, a white variety of the common hare was killed at Kintore, in Aberdeenshire, but this animal had a lightbrown tinge down the back. It was reported by Mr. W. E. May, of Kintore, in the Field of January 16, 1875.

In October, 1888, the Earl of Burford, at Bestwood Park, Notts, shot a full-grown white hare, with eyes of a pale blue; and in the same neighbourhood a white leveret was caught in the previous April. These are both preserved in the curious collection of varieties belonging to Mr. Whitaker, of Rainworth. In December, 1888, a white hare was shot at Rufford; and it is curious COMMON HARE. that these should all have occurred in one year in a district where hares are now by no means plentiful. To give another example, in September, 1890, Mr. Alfred Turner, of Kington, Herefordshire, while beating a potato field near that town, found and bagged a pure white hare with pink eyes, as mentioned in the Field of Septemper 20, 1890. Black hares are apparently of much rarer occurrence, though several have been reported at intervals in different years. So long ago as 1828, Dr. Fleming, in his History of British Animals (p. 21), noticed a black hare which was lately killed at Netley, in Shropshire, by his respected friend, the Rev. F. W. Hope." And some years later one was shot at Blake Hall, in Essex.

In November, 1853, a black hare was coursed and killed at Enville, the seat of Lord Stamford. A perfectly black hare shot at Denham, in Suffolk, is preserved DD2 in the possession of Sir Edward Kerrison, Bart. Another, full-grown, was shot at Firle by General Gage. In 1885 one was shot near Lutterworth by Mr. Joshua Harrison, of Parlton Field, and another about the same time by Mr. J. Cross, of Althorp Towers, near Rugby. Since then Mr. E. H.

Watts, of Westfield, Bishops Stortford, shot a pure black hare in that neighbourhood in the month of January, and another was shot by Mr. A. E. Gover, of Carleton [Copyright by Douglas English.

A WILD HARE PHOTOGRAPHED IN THE SNOW. (From "A Book of Nimble Beasts.') Rectory, near Newmarket, in September, 1893.

Weight. The average weight of a fullgrown brown hare may be put down at about 8 lb., but this weight has occasionally been considerably exceeded, particularly in Lincolnshire, where the hares are unusually fine and heavy. Thus, in October, 1877, a hare was shot on the farm of Mr. Tupholme, of Eastville, near Boston, which weighed II lb. 3 oz.; and in the Field of November 10, 1877, others are reported to have been killed in Lincolnshire, weighing respectively 11 lb. 3 oz. and 113/4 lb. Perhaps the heaviest on record is one which was shot in October, 1876, by Mr. Robert Henderson, on the Longwitten estate, near Morpeth (the Field, October 28, 1876). It is said to have weighed 1354 lb.

Russian hares are considerably larger than English ones, and are much more thickly furred. Two shot in October, 1893, weighed 12 lb. and 14/2 lb. respectively. (The Field, November 18, 1893.) Habits. The mischievous operation of the Ground Game Act passed in 1880, and the neglect on the part of the Legislature to provide a close time for hares,¹ have 1 The so-called Hares Preservation Act of 1892 imposes no penalty for killing hares out of season in England. It merely provides that they are not to be sold or exposed for sale during the months [HARE caused a woeful diminution in many parts of the country of this most useful animal.

It is no exaggeration to say that in some counties, more particularly in the south of England, the number of hares now to be met with is about one-fifth of what it was before the Ground Game Act was passed.

Hares have suffered reduction more than rabbits for several reasons. Their larger size renders it more difficult for them to escape observation; they do not as a rule go to ground, unless hard pressed by a dog; they breed less frequently in the year and have fewer young at a birth. Added to this, they are inconsiderately coursed so late in the spring that many does in young are killed, and are then utterly unfit for food. Under this disastrous process of reduction, it is no wonder that English hares have become scarce.

The champions of sport and the advocates of humanity and common sense have alike failed to convince their unreasonable opponents of the wisdom of enforcing a close time. One would have supposed that the vested interests of masters of harriers, owners of greyhounds, game preservers, and game shooters, to say nothing of game dealers and game consumers, would have long since operated to secure the passing of such a Bill as is needed, and it is difficult to understand on what grounds so reasonable a measure has been so persistently opposed.

Hares breed when twelve months old, and the female, after thirty days' gestation, brings forth from two to five young, very rarely six. Adult hares will breed two or three times in a year. 1 Unlike the rabbit, which is born under ground naked and blind, young hares at birth are deposited in a "form," are clothed with fur, and have the eyes open. They are thus sooner enabled to shift for themselves and escape their enemies. In time of danger they are often transported from their place of birth by the parent, which carries them one by one in her mouth as a cat carries her kittens, to be concealed in a place of greater safety. When hares are seeking their young at night in order to suckle them, they utter a faint cry something like the feeble bleat of a fawn, and the leverets answer in a fainter tone. Hares swim well, not only when pressed by hounds, but also when in search of a mate, or seeking fresh feeding grounds across a of March, April, May, June, and July. In Ireland, however by 32 & 43 Vict. c. 23, no one may kill or take a hare between April 20th and August 12th under a penalty of 20s.

HARE] river. This is especially the case on saltings near the sea, when to escape the incoming tide a hare which has been surrounded by the water is compelled to swim to reach dry land.

The amount of sport which this animal provides, in the shape of hunting, coursing, and shooting, surely demands some effort for its proper protection (say from March 1 to August 12, the first day of grouse shooting), and preservers would do well to bear in mind that food without shelter is not sufficient to ensure the maintenance of a proper stock. In times of much rain and heavy snow, hares leave the open country and betake themselves to thick hedgerows and coverts. Hence the more accommodation there is of this kind the better for the interests of sportsmen, since the fewer plantations there are upon a sporting estate the fewer will be the number of hares.

They will undoubtedly seek shelter elsewhere.

Diseases. Hares are occasionally subject to a parasitic disease, a sort of pulmonary tuberculosis, caused by the presence in the lungs and air passages of thread-worm, Filaria pulmonalis (Strongylus commutatus of some authors). A few years ago, on the Walton Hall Estate, in Yorkshire, the writer remarked that the hares were suffering from a peculiar malady which seemed to be due to an unusually wet summer.

The wet "seat" attracted the flies when the animal moved, and they deposited their eggs in ano. Maggots were engendered, which found their way into the intestine, and caused a lingering and painful death.

Numbers of hares thus affected picked up that summer in a dead and dying condition. were The Scotch, Blue, White, or Mountain Hare (Lepus variabilis). It was at one time supposed that there were three distinct species of hare in the British Islands, and in the first edition of Bell's British Quadrupeds, the so-called Irish hare was described and figured as differing in certain respects from the English and Scottish animals. The chief distinctions relied on were that it differed from the English hare in its shorter and rounder head, shorter ears and limbs, and in the texture of the fur, which is without the long black hairs with which the fur of the latter is in parts interspersed; while from the Scotch hare it was said to differ in never turning white in winter. This has now been proved to be a fallacy, for in the points in which it differs from the English hare it resembles the Scotch one, and the testimony of numerous observers in different parts of Ireland goes to prove that if the majority of the hares in that country do not turn wholly white in winter, as many do, they at least become partially so. In other words, the Scotch hare and the Irish hare are specifically identical. The geographical appellation, moreover, no longer holds good; for English hares have been introduced into Ireland, and hares both from Ireland and Scotland have been imported into England.

MOUNTAIN HARE.

In North Wales (Carnarvonshire) representatives from the three countries may be seen and shot on the same day.

Description. Many people then would not know the difference, especially if told that some allowance must be made for individual variation. They should notice, however, the smaller size, rounder head, shorter ears and hind-limbs, and the soft woolly nature of the fur.

Colour. The variation in colour which takes place in the Scotch hare is considerable. This depends wholly upon season; and as the change proceeds from the summer to the winter garb, every variety may be seen between blue grey and pure white.

Weight. The average weight of a Scotch hare may be set down as between 5 lb. and 6 lb. The heaviest ever noticed by the writer, shot in Caithness, weighed 7½ lb.

The largest Irish hare weighed 9 lb. Good ones will weigh 8 lb.; but a great many, probably, are little over half that size (Harvie Brown, Fauna of Argyll, p. 43, footnote). It is, therefore, far behind the common hare in size and weight, for the latter has, as stated above, been recorded to the weight of 10 lb. and II lb., and in one case of over 13 lb.

Habits. As might be supposed from the nature of its haunts, the mountain hare differs in its habits from the brown hare of the lowlands. It is given to skulking amongst boulders on the hillsides, and when pursued seldom goes far before retreating into some hole or cranny, in this respect seeking safety in hiding like a rabbit, rather than by swift flight like a brown hare. On this account it affords but little sport for the gun, and were it not for the fact that it makes excellent soup, it would probably not often be shot by those who, in pursuit of grouse or ptarmigan, have an object in reducing the weight they have to carry when climbing a steep hillside. Moreover, when a "hare drive" is resorted to, the Scotch animal affords but poor sport by comparison with grouse driving," for, on account of its conspicuous colour and slow rate of speed, it is by no means difficult to shoot.

Scotch and Irish grouse shooters, however, if they happen to be naturalists, will regard white hares with some favour, since they afford food for the eagles and hill-foxes, which, were it not for their existence, would take heavier toll of the grouse. ،، Interbreeding. - Notwithstanding the scepticism which has been expressed on the subject, there is no doubt that the common brown hare (Lepus timidus) and the Scotch or alpine hare (Lepus variabilis) occasionally interbreed. (See Cordeaux, The Field, Sept. 23, 1876, McNicol and Colquhoun, The Field, Oct. 7, 1876, Lumsden, Zoologist, 1877, p. 101, Harting, Proc. Linn.

Soc., 1897, and Harvie Brown, Fauna of the Tay Basin, 1906, p. 56). Mr. J. G.

Millais has come across several such hybrids in Perthshire, and is convinced that on the ground to which the blue hares descend from the hills and meet the lowland brown hares, such interbreeding is not so uncommon as is usually supposed. Their general similarity to one or other parent causes them to be overlooked. In Sweden, where of late years the brown hare has been introduced, the occurrence of such hybrids has been frequently noticed. (See Lönnberg, Proc. Zool. Soc., April 18, 1905, and The Field, May 6 and Sept. 30, 1905.) J. E. HARTING.

HARTEBEEST (Bubalis caama); Rooi hartebeest (red hartebeest), of the Transvaal Boers; Khama of the Bechuanas; Mthluzele of the Zulus; Ingama of the Makalakas; Khama (with a click) of the Masarwa Bushmen. This fine antelope is one of the fastest and most enduring in all Africa, its near relative the Tsesseby being probably the only antelope that can excel it in these respects. The Cape Hartebeest, as this animal may for convenience be called, to distinguish it from several near congeners in various parts of Africa, was formerly to be found in great abundance throughout most of South Africa from the [HARE Cape Peninsula to Lake Ngami. It has never been found, curiously enough, in Matabeleland or Mashunaland. It is described by Cornwallis Harris as frequenting the plains beyond the Orange River, in his time (1837) "in immense herds," but, chiefly owing to the wasteful slaughter of the great game-slaying period-1837 to 1890-its numbers have been much reduced in many parts of the country. Still, thanks to its vigilance, wariness, and extraordinary powers of flight, the hartebeest may be found in large herds in portions of Bechuanaland, Ngamiland, and the Kalahari Desert. A few linger here and there in the parched and desolate Bushmanland country, to the north-west of the Cape Colony, just south of the Orange river. In parts of Griqualand West they still exist, and there enjoy some slight measure of protection.

They are also preserved in small numbers in Natal, and a few still remain in Zululand. To the westward of British Bechuanaland, and thence into the adjacent Kalahari, fair troops may still be found occasionally in the park-like, open forest and grass country so often to be met with in those regions. Throughout the Bechuanaland Protectorate, towards the Kalahari, and thence into Khama's country, hartebeests may yet be encountered in respectable numbers. In the more desert, westerly portion of Khama's country, in the open giraffeacacia forests south of the Botletli River, near the various salt pans of the Ngamiland region and throughout much of the Northern Kalahari, large herds of these antelopes still roam freely. Ngamiland and the northern portion of the Kalahari desert may indeed be said to be now the principal headquarters of the Cape hartebeest. Its northern range seems rarely to extend north of the great Makarrikarri salt-pan, north of the Botletli River. The writer has within recent years found these antelopes running in large troops in the waterless "Thirstland" between Palachwe (Khama's Country) and the Botletli River, also between Khama's and the Makarrikarri salt-pan. In both cases they were to be found at no great distance from the wagon roads. In the waterless Kalahari forests, some twenty miles south of the Botletli River, they were also fairly abundant. The Cape hartebeest shares, with the giraffe, the gemsbuck, the eland, and one or two other antelopes, the faculty of being able to subsist without water, during the period of African winter, for several months at a time. This peculiarity will, without doubt, serve to postpone its extinction for many years to come. a HARTEBEEST] This antelope is one of the most difficult of all African game animals to bring to bag. One seldom hears even of Boer hunters shooting many of these animals during a hunting expedition. It is found nowadays usually upon open grass plains in the vicinity of thin bush or forest, or, as in so many parts of Bechuanaland and the Kalahari, in flat grassy country amid open forests of giraffe-acacia. As a rule hartebeests will be seen at the present day in troops of from a dozen to five and twenty or thirty. But, in country where they have THE TATE LIBRARY, BRIXTON, S.W. bone. Both male and female carry horns, those of the cows being somewhat thinner and less robust than are the bulls' . The eyes, planted high up in the head, are of a reddish hue. The flesh of the hartebeest is very fair eating, and makes good "bültong," i.e., salted and sun-dried venison, much in favour among the Boers. The handsome skin of this antelope is much prized by the Bechuanas, as well as by the Vaalpens and Masarwa bushmen of the Kalahari, all of whom use it, when tanned in native fashion, with the hair partly left HERD OF HARTEBEEST. been little disturbed, herds numbering fifty and upwards may yet be found.

The Cape hartebeest is quite one of the most remarkable of all the South African antelopes. It is a quaint, old-fashionedlooking quadruped, rather what a racing man would call "a three-cornered brute," standing high at the shoulders and sloping considerably towards the rump. An average specimen will stand four feet high at the withers, but instances have been known where the measurement has reached five feet. The legs are slender, hard as iron, clean and shapely. The general colour is a rich, bright brown-bay, varied by the black face, by dark markings upon the fore and hind legs, and by patches of yellowishwhite upon the rump and quarters. The head is long and awkward-looking, the face narrow and strongly marked with black.

The strong rugged horns, corrugated up to the backward curve, after rising upward, bend back suddenly, almost at a right angle; they are set upon a singularly high frontal [Photo. by A. Radclyffe Dugmore. on, as a cloak. The bushy tail-tuft, which is of a curious reddish-black tint, is retained on the cloak and allowed to fall down the back of the wearer, just below the neck.

As a beast of chase the hartebeest stands almost unrivalled. Some of the larger South African antelopes, as the eland, kudu, sable antelope and others, may be run down with a good horse in favourable country.

Not so with the hartebeest, which, as the writer can personally testify, can show its heels to the best Cape hunting horse ever foaled. Nor is it of the slightest use to persist in a long tail-on-end chase with the idea of wearing out these most fleet and enduring animals if they have really taken alarm and mean to go. In its slower paces the hartebeest looks heavy and lumbering, and the novice will probably regard it as a beast not very difficult to run down. Once begin to push it, however, and the animal stretches itself out, gets its hind legs well under its belly, and covers mile after mile of veldt in wonderfully smooth, machinelike fashion. This strong and untiring gallop it seems capable of keeping up in definitely, to the despair of the mounted hunter . I have seen hartebeests chased hard for seven miles, by which time the horses had been ridden to a standstill, while the antelopes were as fresh as ever.

If it were not for certain rather foolish traits possessed by these animals few hartebeests, indeed, would fall to the rifle. But occasionally they will afford comparatively easy shots. These antelopes are extremely curious, and will not infrequently wheel Valdwell CAPE HARTEBEEST. round, if not chased too hard at first, and so afford the gunner a fair chance at reasonable distance. I have seen this happen two or three times in a single run. Or, if the leader of the troop, usually some cunning old bull, can be wounded and turned out, the rest of the herd become flustered and will run in circles and can be thus cut off.

Again, if a bullet or two is planted so as to strike up the sand in front of the troop, the hartebeests will sometimes turn short back and give the hunter a fair shot. In the pleasant forest country of West Bechuanaland and the Kalahari, in which these antelopes are often found, the mounted hunter, riding quietly, is sometimes enabled, thanks to the bush and covert often afforded, to get within easy distance of them. In such country they are far more readily approached and cut off than upon the broad, open plains which they affect in parts of Khama's country and Ngamiland. The writer has headed a troop in such country in British Bechuanaland and been enabled to cut the herd right in half. The antelopes seemed confounded, and stood staring for [HARTEBEEEST affording two easy shots. It is to be resome seconds within less than 150 yards, thus membered, however, that the hartebeest is South African antelopes-a proverbially one of the most tenacious of life among all tough family-and that even when severely of distancing its pursuers and making good and even mortally wounded it is still capable its escape.

For shooting these antelopes a 400 or 350 sporting rifle, a 303 Lee-Metford, a Mannlicher, or any other good modern longrange sporting rifle will be found sufficient. Very few hartebeests are ever stalked on foot, and the hunter may be strongly advised, if he is desirous of saving time and trouble, to follow the usual practice and take the field mounted on a good reliable South African hunting horse. It may be mentioned, however, that a good many of these antelopes are shot, especially by the Boers, by night, at brack or salt-pans, of which hartebeests are extremely fond, and to which they come, with other game, to lick.

In addition to the Cape hartebeest, a number of other hartebeests, not distantly connected with this antelope, are to be found in various parts of the African continent.

These are Lichtenstein's hartebeest, found in South Eastern and South Central Africa; Jackson's and Heuglin's hartebeests, found in Central Africa; the Tora or Tetel, found in the Sudan and North East Africa; the Tiang hartebeest, Sudan; Swayne's hartebeest, Somaliland; the Topi hartebeest, East Africa; Coke's hartebeest, East Africa; Neumann's hartebeest, East Africa; Nied- Hunter's hartebeest, a very rare and curious ieck's hartebeest, White Nile country; form, found from South Somaliland to the Tana River; the West African hartebeest, found in the Gambia, Niger, Cameroons, and other western regions; the Senegal hartebeest, which frequents Senegambia and West Central Africa; and the Bubal hartebeest, found in the southern parts of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunis, and in Arabia.

Besides these forms, the Tsesseby of South Africa (Damaliscus lunatus), often called by the Boers the Bastard hartebeest or Zulu hartebeest, is obviously nearly allied to the Cape hartebeest. For further information on all these animals, their horn measurements, and habitats, &c., the reader may be referred to the Book of the Antelope, by Oldfield Thomas and P. L. Sclater, and Records of Big Game, by Rowland Ward.

H. A. BRYDEN. great grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) has come HERON. an object of sport the to be almost forgotten. There was a time, HERON] and that within memory of those still living, when heron-hawking was practised by an English falconer, who died in his sixtysecond year no longer ago than 1871. This was the late Edward Clough Newcome, of Hockwold in the county of Norfolk. His hawking career commenced about 1827 or 1828, when, as a boy of 17 or 18, he used to go out with Colonel Wilson of Didlington, who succeeded Lord Orford as chief of the Norfolk falconers. The heron-hawks were then kept at High Ash in charge of wind, it was seldom taken; the hawks were in danger of being lost; and, as the flight was in a straight line, it afforded little sport.

In 1838, after the death of Colonel Wilson (who in 1832 had become Lord Berners), Mr. Newcome, with the Duke of Leeds, Mr.

Stuart Wortley and Baron d'Offémont, helped to found the celebrated Loo Hawking Club, whose headquarters were at the Loo near Apeldoorn, the summer palace of the King of Holland, under whose pat- HERON. some Dutch falconers, and the "meets" were, according to the wind, at High Ash, Mundford, Cranwich Barn, Northwold Field, and Methwold Field. The heronry at Didlington was in those days surrounded by open country on every side, and the herons used to go out in the morning to the fens as well as to rivers and ponds at a considerable distance in search of food, returning to the heronry towards evening.

It was at this time (as described by Sir John Sebright) that the falconers placed themselves down wind of the Heronry, so that when the herons were intercepted on their return home, they were obliged to fly against the wind to gain their place of retreat, and a fine ringing flight was then usually obtained. If the heron flew down ronage and with whose consent the members met every summer for about six weeks' heron hawking. The following extract from the archives of the club shows the number of hawks (peregrines and gerfalcons) maintained by the members, and the number of herons captured by them between 1840 and 1852:- 1840-22 Falcons 138 Herons 1841-44 287 1842-44 148 1843-40 200 وو دو دو وو دو دو دو دو دو دو دو وو دو دو When taken uninjured, the herons were often liberated, after having a brass ring fastened on one leg inscribed with the name of the club and the date of capture. They were sometimes retaken at long intervals at a considerable distance from the Loo.

In 1856 one of them was killed near Perpignan, having a ring on its leg which it had carried for seven years.

Mr. Newcome was the last falconer who kept heron-hawks in England, and an interesting account of two remarkable birds which he possessed, named "Sultan" and "De Ruyter," will be found in Freeman and Salvin's Falconry (1859). They were brought from Holland by the Dutch falconer Jan Pells, and in their first year took fiftyfour herons, and in the following season fifty-seven.

But although the heron from various causes no longer serves as a quarry for trained falcons, it is still an object of some solicitude on the part of wildfowlers, not because it is reckoned of much account for the table-though formerly it was held in some estimation and was served up at city feasts together with cranes, bustards, and shovelards-but on account of its extreme wariness. Its long neck and long legs enable it to keep so sharp a look-out above the sedges or other aquatic herbage amongst which its great body is often partially or entirely concealed, that it usually requires all the skill of a deer-stalker to approach it within gunshot, the difficulty being of course increased when the bird is out on an open marsh, on the seashore, or fishing on the extensive mudflats of a tidal harbour. a By anglers the heron is regarded as a deadly foe, though it would be fairer to regard it merely as a rival. It has to get its living chiefly, though not entirely, by fishing, and its instinct naturally prompts it to seek the fish where it has the best chance of capturing it, namely, in shallow water. For this reason it is not surprising that it should visit the shallows of a trout stream, or the bed of a pool which is not too deep for wading. In such places no doubt the heron takes certain toll of such fish as come within reach of its longpointed beak, but it varies its fish diet with frogs, water-rats, and the young of waterfowl, such as moorhens, coots, and wild ducks, to an extent which should relieve it from the objurgations of anglers. When we consider the extraordinary fecundity of most fishes, the extreme rapidity of their movements in their own element, and the comparative infrequency with which they can be struck by the bird's beak (we have [HERON repeatedly seen a heron miss its mark) we should not be disposed to grudge it the meal which eventually rewards its skill and patience.

Considering its large size, most apparent when on the wing, at which time it looks as large as a wild goose, its weight is insignificant. An adult heron will weigh 3/2 lb., a bean-goose 72 to 8 lb., and a grey lag goose 9 to 10 lb. The length of an adult heron is about 3 feet 4 inches to the end of the tail. One of the most remarkable points in its life history is the circumstance of its congregating in the breeding season to nest in colonies, like the rook, on the tops of tall trees, or in cliffs overhanging a river, as is the case on the Findhorn. That so large a bird, with such long legs, and toes formed for wading rather than for grasping, should select the slender branches of an oak, fir, or wych elm, on which to construct a ponderous nest of twigs, is certainly curious; but the habit is no doubt a precautionary one for safety during the time the young are helpless in the nest. Where tall trees are absent and the herons are not molested, they sometimes make them on or near the ground, at times on dwarf bushes-as on a small island in Lough Clinn, co. Kerry, where the nests, on hollies and mountain ash, are built so low down that they may be almost reached by standing up in a boat-or amongst reeds as at Tollesbury, in Essex, where they were formerly numerous.

Occasionally, when seeking to establish a new colony, herons will attempt to take forcible possession of a rookery, and pitched battles between the two species will last for several days. A notable instance of this occurred at Dalham Tower, Westmorland, where a grove in which herons built had been cut down, and the herons endeavoured to effect a settlement in a neighbouring rookery. The rooks opposed this invasion, and desperate battles ensued. Many of the rooks were killed and some of the herons lost their lives; but the latter succeeded in holding some of the trees, and harmony was at length restored.

Modern statistics seem to show that heronries in Great Britain, instead of decreasing in number as some writers suppose, are really on the increase, and this in spite of the persecution to which the birds are subjected at the hands of the fish preservers and holders of a ten shilling gun licence.

In James the First's time an Act of Parliament (I Jac. I. cap. 27 sec. 7) made it illegal to shoot with any gun within 600 paces of a heronry; no one beyond his own HERON] ground might kill or take a heron except by hawking or with the long bow under a penalty of 6s. 8d. for every bird so killed or taken, and no one might take a young heron from the nest under a penalty of IOS. (19 Hen. VII. cap. II. sec. I). The eggs of herons, bitterns, and spoonbills (shovelard) were protected (25 Hen. VIII. cap. II. sec. 5), and it is worthy of note that in those days there was a heronry in the Bishop of London's park at Fulham in which spoonbills were also nesting. For a full account of this interesting circumstance the reader may be referred to the Zoologist for 1886, pp. 81-88. But these statutes were repealed by what is now known as the principal Game Act of William IV. (1 and 2 Will. IV. cap. 32), and while the legal protection once afforded to these birds was withdrawn, the means for their destruction increased by the improvement in guns, which added to the number of shooters.

Notwithstanding these facts the birds themselves have not (like the crane and the bustard) ceased to breed in the British Islands, nor have our British heronries materially decreased. This is probably due to the fact that although many more people use shot guns than was formerly the case, they use them for fowl which are better worth their notice, and, in the case of professional gunners, command a higher market value. a Some years ago, by means of a published circular, the writer collected a considerable mass of information relating to heronries existing in the British Islands (Zoologist, 1872). No fewer than 130 were noted for England and Wales, seventy for Scotland, and forty-nine for Ireland. In a subsequently published appendix (Zoologist, 1873), twenty more were added for England and Wales, two for Scotland, and three for Ireland, and twenty-six further additions in subsequent numbers of that journal made a total of about 300 in the United Kingdom.

From these statistics the list of British heronries given in Yarrell's British Birds was revised, and omitting the details which had been collected as to the kind of tree on which the nests were built, the number of nests, ownership, and so forth, the following list will serve to show approximately the present distribution of heronries throughout the country.

BERKSHIRE.-Windsor Great Park; Coley Park, Reading.

BRECONSHIRE.--Senny Bridge; Hay.