These bellows air guns were generally made in the late 1700s to mid-1800s and were used primarily for indoor target shooting. This exact example is pictured and described on pages 212-213 of "Blue Book of Airguns, Thirteenth Edition" in which the book states, "Their basic feature is a conical bellows hidden in the hollowed-out wooden buttstock." These air guns use darts that typically have a hair tail. This bellows air gun has a tip-up octagon barrel measuring at approximately .33 caliber/8.5 mm (possibly for use with 8 mm darts with a hair tail) with a smooth bore that loads from the breech and releases with a lever that protrudes through the bottom of the stock ahead of the trigger guard, dovetail mounted blade front and notch rear sights on the barrel, brass peep sight with glass insert mounted on the tang, and is mounted with a walnut stock with a checkered forend and wrist, deeply cut floral relief carvings and ornate brass inlays and furniture. Includes an ebony tipped wooden ramrod and crank handle. Provenance: The Dr. Robert D. Beeman Collection