HUNTING RIFLES.

There are no college men who look forward with more pleasure to the long vacation than those who are numbered among the devotees of the gun. Although the lovers of the shotgun are largely in the majority, still there are a large number of men who are admirers of the rifle. There is something about rifle shooting which is peculiarly fascinating. The dependence upon the single bullet and the skill which putting it in the right place necessitates, has a tendency to give the rifleman a like precision of ideas. In order to attain any considerable degree of skill it is essential that he should be a good reasoned. Distances, effect of the atmosphere and wind, are among the points to be considered. If the shot is to be made at any kind of game, the speed at which it is moving must, of course, be noted. Unfortunately in the Northern States there is comparatively little game worthy the attention of a rifle. In Canada, Maine, and in the Adriondacks, there is still found some large game, although not in so great an abundance as one who has never visited those sections would be led to expect. Enough large game can, however, be found by one who is determined to get it, and is regardless of the expense and labor involved. If one proposes to do so, it is important that he should make a judicious selection of the rifle on which he is to rely; and on that selection will depend, to a certain extent, the enjoyment and profit of the trip. A person who has never had any experience cannot realize the importance of having a rifle that suits him exactly. And as it is very annoying for one to find out that he does not like his gun when he is in the woods and out of the reach of civilization, it is essential that great care should be exercised in its purchase. Safety, strength, accuracy, penetration, and a flat trajectory are points which must be carefully observed, as well as the build of the gun with reference to that of the purchaser. The section o' the country which he intends to visit and the kind of game to be found there, are also to be considered. There is a large variety of rifles, but as yet not one has been produced which in every respect satisfies the requirements of the "perfect hunting rifle." Improvements are, however, continually being made, and it is probable that, in time, such a rifle will be produced. The great trouble with American rifles is their low velocity. Every rifle yet made of long range and of great penetration, seems to have been at a proportionate loss of its short-range efficiency. At one hundred and fifty and two hundred yards, the average distance of game shorts, it is important that the trajectory should be as flat as possible, and a rifle which will kill at a much greater, invariably has at the shorter, distance too high a trajectory.

B.