[Chap XIV, 



PAKX. 44.1 



(v) Don^t, in taking birds that are crossing from rt'jht 

 to bfl, allow the ri(,hi shoulder (if that is the o)ie from 

 which you fire) to drop. This is wliy so many right- 

 sided people miss more birds going in tliis, than in the 

 contrary, direction. 



(vi) Don't take yonr birds too near. Of course there 

 are limits, but many people try, if they get the chance, 

 to take their birds under the regulation forty yards. To 

 think that near birds are easy is a delusionj^and the mis- 

 take is the greater when they are approaching overhead. 

 A high incomer gives you more time than a low one, 

 counting from the moment when the bird is on a line to 

 your eye which makes an angle of forty-five degrees with 

 land or water up to that when he is exactly over you. If 

 you do hit the near bird, especially with the choke barrel, 

 you "plaster" him. This taking close in cannot of course 

 be avoided sometimes, e.g., when it is a choice between 

 firing at short range or not at all, but this is where the 

 good shot will prove superior to the iudiflferent, the former 

 giving even more than the usual "lead" in order to place a 

 pellet or two only and those well forward, while tlie latter 

 fires just as he would at the longer distance and mangles 

 his bird as the result. For the approaching high bird it 

 is well to have the gun ready pointing upwards in the 

 required direction well j)efore the forty-five degree augle 

 line is reached, since, if you wait till the bird reaches that 

 position, he will be on and past you before the gun is even 

 up. 



(vii) Having made up your mind which is the best size 

 of shot for the particular bird you are after, don't change 

 nboiit from that to another, or others. You will get more 

 consistent results by sticking to a single size. 



(viii) Don't be greedy and trij and do too much. If 

 you have two guns going, it is not necessary to fire all 

 four barrels at every flock that passes. Unless you are a 

 real expert, the result will be hurried shooting, worse often 

 than if you had only a single gun. 



(ix) A few special " Donts " may be added for butt- 

 shooters in particular, viz. : — 



(a) Don't despise j.rotective colours in your clothing. 

 If your butt is built of Tamarisk twigs, a 

 darkish green, and if it is made of yellow reeds, 

 khaki, are the ri^ht colours for your hat and 

 coat. A nicelv pipe-claved white topi is all 

 very well at, say, a Race Meeting, but it tends 

 to make the Duck give you a very wide berth. 



{h) Don't try and fire into the eye of the sun. Your 

 butt may face the wrong way. or more birds 

 may seem to be going the sunny side of yen, 



