The confusion which is caused among troops at night manœuvres by the explosion in their ranks of a few ordinary crackers is strong evidence of the advantage to be gained from the use of hand grenades at a critical moment. _Luminous Discs._ Luminous discs are required to mark the directing flank of companies; they should be made of thin board, coated on both sides with luminous paint, and mounted on a pole about 5 feet long. In shape they may be either round or square, but it is useful to have one of a special pattern to mark the directing guide. They may be from 12 inches to 15 inches in diameter. _Pocket Electric Lamps._ The pocket lamps used by many officers for reading maps at night answer well as points to march on. They should be provided with a cardboard hood extending about three inches beyond the bulb, to check the lateral spread of the rays. _Connecting Ropes._ If ropes or tapes (entrenching tapes do well) are used for keeping connection, they must be held up by men placed at intervals of three or four yards. Unless this is done the rope is sure to catch in bushes or stones, and will probably break. _Passing Fences._ When possible a gateway will be used for the passage of the troops, and if the gate cannot be taken off its hinges a man should be detailed to hold it open till the column has passed; if no gateway exists a gap must be made. To make a gap in a hedge, choose a weak place, and cut away the wood with saws or knives; axes and billhooks should not be used, as the sound made by them can be heard a long way. Walls, if built of loose stones, must be carefully pulled down and the stones piled up at the sides of the gap; if the stones are laid in mortar the wall must be climbed. Wire fences should have a length of wire between two posts cut right out and removed; the cuts should be made about two feet from the posts, and the ends of the wires twisted back round the posts. Before cutting a taut wire see that it is firmly grasped on both sides of the point where the cut is made, otherwise the wire when cut will spring back with a loud, ringing noise. As sound travels a long way up a wire fence, great care must be taken to avoid jarring the wires. _Entrenching by Night._ If trenches which have been dug at night are examined in daylight, it will often be found that owing to the faulty shape of the parapet a good deal of ground close in front of the trench is dead. To obviate this it is advisable to place white objects or electric lamps about 30 yards in front of the trenches, in order that the men, when finishing off the parapet, may so shape it that when firing over it the line of sight will cut the ground at that point. It must also be remembered that in the dark men instinctively fire straight to the front, _i.e._, at right angles to the parapet, consequently if it is desired to bring fire to bear in an oblique direction some means of marking the required direction are necessary. _Wire Entanglements._