Winchester .22 Automatic rifles are better, though I have never seen a professional use them. The automatic needs only trigger pressure and turns and quick runs can be played with it.
When the gallery charge, automatic pistol arrives, it will be possible to use it in the same way for playing tunes. The clips can be dropped out and a fresh one inserted when the tune gives a pause of a bar, care being taken not to fire the last shot, but let it carry on the first cartridge of the new clip, as I have explained earlier.
The plates should be so arranged as to show the “black notes” like a piano does, otherwise it is difficult to play tunes having sharps, flats or accidentals, if all the notes look alike.
I saw a “bandmaster” (?) at a village horse-show overcome this difficulty of his drum and fife band by allowing the “band” to ignore the black notes and to substitute naturals for all sharps and flats; the effect was very fine and greatly applauded!
CHAPTER LVIII
THE DEVILLIERS BULLET
Dr. Devilliers has patented a spherical bullet, made of a secret composition, which is shot out of pistols with only the fulminate of the cap to propel it.
It cannot be used in an automatic pistol loaded through the magazine as there is no recoil to operate the mechanism, but it can be shot from a magazine pistol if used as a single loader.