down the barrel adhered to
its moist sides, thereby becoming deteriorated and decreasing the
explosive force. As a weapon of precision the Snider is perhaps
preferable to the Martini-Henry; but, of course, this is matter of
opinion.

The sportsman of the good old school would be somewhat astonished, and
would perhaps feel uncomfortable, upon finding himself armed with a
breech-loading fowling-piece of the present day, particularly as
prejudices are strong and obstinacy very prevalent among some people,
and the keen eye of the old sportsman would view the modern innovation
upon his rights--as he would probably call them--with dread, suspicion,
and distrust.

It is a fact, even at the present time, that there are many old farmers
in England who use their ancient flint-and-steel fowling-pieces from
choice in preference to modern weapons.

The cool old sportsman of days gone by would sally forth in quest of
game, having previously overhauled his lock, and, if necessary,
adjusted a new flint, with as much care as an angler would examine his
tackle previous to a day's sport, as he well knew that success depended
upon vigilance and care. There was no blustering and banging away in
those days, as soon as a bird rose, as is unhappily too often the case
now-a-days, resulting in either blowing the bird all to pieces or
probably missing it altogether. No, the keen eye of the old school would
coolly watch his bird rise, take a pinch of snuff, cock his piece, cover
his bird, and then bring it down, allowing it to get well away before
drawing the trigger.

Many a young gentleman calling himself a sportsman knows little of the
capabilities of the weapon he wields, and cares less; his whole aim is
to see how many head of game he can bag, and to blaze away is the order
of the day, to the astonishment of poor Ponto, who, if he chance to run
within range, sometimes gets a charge of shot in his tail.

In the Royal Navy the use and practice of the pistol, and latterly of
the revolver, has always been kept up. Consequently the Jack Tar knows
more about the pistol and the military revolver than most men give him
credit for. In boarding vessels, for instance, the pistol was one of the
arms used. The importance of the revolver movement as inaugurated by the
National Rifle Association has resulted in the formation of a club
called 'The Metropolitan Revolver Club.' This Club, which is in its
infancy, has many obstacles to surmount, but it is