The men to be recommended must have completed twenty-one years of actual service, have borne an irreproachable character, and have never been convicted by a court-martial. In 1867 a decoration was instituted for the "Best Shot" in the Infantry Regiments. It was awarded annually by competition, and carried with it a money grant of £20. As the award was discontinued in 1883, specimens are rare, and seldom available for purchase. The obverse of the medal bore Poynter's draped profile of Victoria, whilst the reverse showed Fame placing a wreath on the head of a warrior. The earlier copies are found in bronze, the later ones in silver. The ribbon was somewhat gaudy, consisting of seven strips, three narrow ones of black, white, and black, then a wide one of red, and finally three more narrow ones of black, white, and black. * * * * * Volunteer decorations are numerous and one or two collectors of our acquaintance have specialized in them and gathered together series of much value and interest. The earliest Volunteer specimens which we have seen are those which came from corps raised during the Napoleonic times of trouble, especially those which dated from the period when an invasion of England was feared. At this time there were some hundreds of volunteer corps throughout the land, many of them were only small organizations, it is true, but the old lists tell us that the volunteers aggregated some 500,000 men in all. The force as a whole was well organized and well equipped, and proficiency was encouraged by the granting of medals and decorations. These awards were not granted by Royal Warrant but by the patrons of each corps, though official sanction was always obtained previously. On this account we may look upon the medals as properly authenticated specimens well worth collecting. Most of the volunteer medals which we have seen of this period bear dates between 1776 and 1816, whilst many of them are highly artistic and ornamental. We have seen specimens given by the following corps--the names are worth mentioning if only to show the quarters in which the bodies were raised:-- The Bank of England Volunteers. The Bermondsey Volunteers. The Broad Street Ward Volunteers. The Essex Volunteer Cavalry. Hans Town Association Volunteers. Loyal Cork Volunteers. Sadler's Sharpshooters. Walthamstow Volunteers. Of recent Volunteer awards the Volunteer Officers' Decoration is probably the best known. The Royal Warrant which proclaimed its issue, under date of July 25, 1892, said:--