loft
is certainly curious. It appears to be rearing up on end, as if the
extremity saddled with the ballonet were weighted.

British and French captive balloon authorities are disposed to discount
the steadying effect of this attachment, and, indeed, to maintain that
it is a distinct disadvantage. It may hold the vessel steadier for the
purpose of observation, but at the same time it renders the balloon a
steadier target for hostile fire. On the other hand, the swaying of a
spherical balloon with the wind materially contributes to its safety.
A moving object, particularly when its oscillations are irregular
and incalculable, is an extremely difficult object at which to take
effective aim.

Seeing that even a small captive balloon is of appreciable
dimensions--from 25 to 33 feet or more in diameter--one might consider
it an easy object to hit. But experience has proved otherwise. In the
first place the colour of the balloon is distinctly protective. The
golden or yellowish tinge harmonises well with the daylight, even in
gloomy weather, while at night-time it blends excellently with the
moonlight. For effective observations a high altitude is undesirable. At
a height of 600 feet the horizon is about 28 miles from the observer,
as compared with the 3 miles constituting the range of vision from
the ground over perfectly flat country. Thus it will be seen that the
"spotter" up aloft has the command of a considerable tract.

Various ways and means of finding the range of a captive balloon have
been prepared, and tables innumerable are available for committal to
memory, while those weapons especially designed for aerial targets are
fitted with excellent range-finders and other instruments. The Germans,
with characteristic thoroughness, have devoted considerable attention
to this subject, but from the results which they have achieved up to
the present this guiding knowledge appears to be more spectacular and
impressive than effective.

To put a captive balloon out of action one must either riddle the
envelope, causing it to leak like a sieve, blow the vessel to pieces, or
ignite the highly inflammable gas with which it is inflated. Individual
rifle fire will inflict no tangible damage. A bullet, if it finds
its billet, will merely pass through the envelope and leave two small
punctures. True, these vents will allow the gas to escape, but this
action will proceed so slowly as to permit the vessel to remain aloft
long enoug