COVERT-SHOOTING 295 



and lose the true line, and the fact that 

 the stock resting on the unyielding 

 shoulder -bone appreciably depresses the 

 muzzle on the discharge, which only in- 

 creased forward allowance — always diffi- 

 cult to ensure without losing direction — 

 will counteract. 



In theory, all high pheasants should 

 be taken well out in front of the gun, 

 better penetration being thus ensured, 

 while an initial error with the first barrel 

 may still be redeemed at the direct over- 

 head mark presented to the second. In 

 practice, many of us whose skill with the 

 gun is somewhat limited, have perforce 

 to wait for our pheasants until they are 

 nearly straight overhead, the better 

 penetration to be obtained in front being 

 quite useless, through constitutional in- 

 ability to put a high bird in front within 

 the focus of the charge at all. This, of 

 course, means that once missed the bird 

 is lost, unless the second barrel follow 

 remarkably close on the first. 



Many of us have often wondered why 



