27 MARCH 1920, Page 22

Automatic Pistols. By Captain Hugh B. C. Pollard. (Sir Isaac

Pitman and Sons. Cs. net.)—Captain Pollard has supple- mented his well-known book on the revolver by this systematic, little essay on the automatic pistol. We are not surprised to find that he does not claim for the automatic in its present stage of development any superiority over the revolver for military purposes, inasmuch as it is apt to fail at the critical - moment. But Captain Pollard believes in this now type of pistol, the user of which has merely to aim and press the trigger. He says that the Germans had an automatic -with a. magazine holding thirty-two rounds. It looks a clumsy weapon.