! Cu.vp. X IV, 



Y^ PARA.. 44.1 



rather than obtuse. The subject of "lead," or forward 

 allowance, has been already dealt with, but it is all impor- 

 tant, and it is in the estimation of it, in all the varying 

 conditions that birds in flight present, that practice and 

 skill produce such gratifying results. Both eyes are best 

 kept open, though there are people wlio shoot with one 

 closed. Closing the eye as in rifle shooting tends to the 

 habit of aiming. Moreover it is unnatural, takes time 

 and is quite unnecessary because the gun maker has made 

 your gun with a stock that enables you, on throwing it 

 up, to get your "master" eye, i.e., the one that controls 

 the vision of both, directed along the centre rib, provid- 

 ed you get your cheek down to its proper position, 

 i.e., nicely bedded on the butt. Why limit your field of 

 vision to that of one eye only ? You want to see all 

 round the gun and to take in as inucli as both eyes can 

 command. 



(ii) iJoii't fdlce too lon<) a swing. You have covered 

 your bird, your eyes looking truly along the centre rib and 

 you are moving the barrels with what you imagine \o be 

 the proper amount of forward allowance. When is the 

 psychological moment during the swing to press (not pull) 

 the triggers in order to fire both first and second barrel ? 

 The ans« er is " as soon as you have time to get in a quick, 

 in^lincixive shot." The whole ac'ionis more like tlnowinga 

 stone to hit a moving mark than the comparatively deli- 

 berate action of even the modern rifleman. "One of the 

 strongest reasons for not swinging the gun over too long a 

 radius" say Messrs. Curtis and Harvey " is that the m\iscles 

 only work with full elasticity over a limited range. A 

 gun. cannot, for instance, be swung over a quarter'^ciicle 

 without being checked in its movement by the gradually 

 increasing tautness of the muschs as the end of 'the 

 motion is approached." 



(iii) Dovt " hroion," if you see, the birds coming 

 closely packed. Pick a bird each time, and, if you hit 

 him, you may bring down others as well, thereby satisfy- 

 ing your greed, supposing you are that svdy 'inclined. 

 Later on, if you have the true spirit of the thing in you, 

 you will rejoice more over the one bird picked and cleanly 

 killed than the two or three cripples which you only 

 downed by mistake. 



(iv) Don't throw cmuiy your nrst barrel by careless 

 kJwoIhiq just because you knoio yon have another in reserve. 

 You will get through quite enough ammunition, as it is* 

 on a big day. Shoot as if each barrel in turn is all you 

 have to depend on. A good many first barrels are missed 

 because one is thinking more of the birds to follow tha^ 

 concentrating on the one that is beiuo- fired at. 



