ICii.vi'. XIV, 



I'.VIIAS. 



l-,.-i:i&44.] 7(^ 



some, but not a complete, excuse for loavinc; the cleaning 

 of one's gun to one's servant. The practice however does 

 not pay in the long run. Barrels perish sooner than they 

 should and the gun works stiffly from dirt and congealed 

 oil. The men who leaves these important things to others 

 moreover has only himself to blame if accidents happen. 

 The writer remembers a very scared-looking sportsman 

 who found one barrel — the only one he fired — quite enough 

 for him for a long time on a certain day. What had 

 happened was that his servant left the cleaning rag inside, 

 so that it emerged with the charge on firing. That the 

 gun did not burst is a tribute to the work of the modern 

 producer of high-class weapons. 

 Optimism 43 Fishing is perhaps an even better discipline for 



tempS^'^ the temper than shooting. There is not very much 

 that can happen in fishing for which you can blame 

 others ; mostly, if things go wrong, it is your own fault. 

 Shooting opens a wider door for laying on others the 

 reproach which one oneself deserves. It may be the 

 beaters, or it may be the loader on whom one blows off 

 steam. Lord knows they are trying enough sometimes, 

 but one's misses are best forgotten at the moment — one may 

 go over them at the end of the day if one likes and try to 

 find the causes for them — and the spirit without doubt to 

 cultivate is the one of cheerful optimism which says, " I 

 didn't hit the last, bid 7'm going to hit the next" 



SOME NEGATIVE COUNSEL. 



Now for some negative counsel — 



44. Don't AIM at a moving object like a bird ia flight. 

 Counsel.^ An aim in these circumstances means a miss behind, for 

 the reason that the shot, unless the barrel is carried for- 

 ward at approximately the same rate at which the object 

 is moving, will strike at the place in which the bird, etc., 

 was when you drew that careful bead on him and not 

 wliere he has got to in the meanwhile. Duck in a drive, 

 other than Teal when fired at, usually carry steadily on 

 in the same plane, sheering off perhaps to left or right, if 

 surprised by a sudden view of the shooter but not rising 

 higher, to avoid him. On deciding to shoot at any bird, 

 in whatever direction he may be moving in relation to 

 your own position, merely cover him and then swing the 

 barrels with the same motion as the bird is adopting, — to 

 right or left, if the bird is crossing you, upwards if he is 

 approacliing, downwards if he is going away from you, — 

 and at the same speed so far as you can judge it. If the 

 bird is passing at less than a full right angle, the " quar- 

 tering " shot, less allowance is required; similarly if the 

 angle of his approaching or depajfting flight is acute 



