The cylinder is fastened to the sabot by six or eight nails, and a plate of rolled iron is placed at the bottom on the sabot. It is closed with a sheet-iron cover after being filled, the top of the cylinder being cut into strips ½ an inch long, and turned down over the cover.

24. In case of heavy guns are the shot attached to the sabot?

They are generally without a sabot.

25. How is it with shells?

They are strapped to sabots made of thick plank, with strips of tin, as in case of strapping shot for field-service.

26. How is it with canister for siege and sea-coast guns?

They have no sabot; the tin is turned over the iron bottom.

95]

27. How is it with canisters for the 8-in. siege and sea-coast howitzers?

They are attached to sabots in the same way as the field-howitzer canisters. The sabot for the siege howitzer has a hemispherical bottom and the sea-coast a conical one, to suit the connecting surface between the cylinder of the bore and the chamber in these pieces.