52 FKANK SCHLEY'S PARTRIDGE AND PHEASANT SHOOTING. 



CEOSS SHOTS. 



|E08S Shots are lines of flight taken by birds across 

 [^ the sportsman, and may include oblique, curved, 

 "^0^ and the different angular flights. They may include 

 )? all angles of flight a Partridge takes in flying across 

 the sportsman, whether acute or obtuse. Cross Shots are 

 more fatal if they hit than straight forward shots, as all 

 the vital parts of the bird, when crossing are exposed to 

 the fire. Never refuse to fire cross shots, as they most 

 easily kill of all flying shots if they hit. The shot strikes 

 harder and stronger a crossing bird, than one flying in the 

 same direction a,s the shot. A Partridge flying around to 

 the left is the best shot to fire at, and it is the easiest of 

 all flying shots to kill ; because the whole vital j)arts of 

 the bird are exposed to the fire, and if one pellet of shot 

 hits with force, the bird will be brought down and killed ; 

 and the gun being balanced in the left hand by stepping 

 forward with the right foot, the body can be turned with 

 ease to the left side, to aim and follow the bird in itsflisht. 

 It is not so with a bird flying to the right, or over head — it 

 is more difficult to turn the body to aim, as the gun cannot 

 be carried to the right side, or over head as readily as to 

 the left side. Therefore, when in the field take every op- 

 portunity to avail yourself of all the cross, or side shots 

 you can get at Partridges flying around to the left. AVhen 

 a Partridge rises to the right or left of you, within twenty- 

 five or thirty yards distance, aim directly at the bird's 

 body and fire. If within thirty yards up to forty-five, aim 

 to just cover the bird. From forty-five yards up to eighty 

 aim two or three inches higher than the bird's body, or in 

 other words, aim just a little above the bird. It is not ne- 

 cessary to aim in the advance of a Partridge, flving around 



