336 WILD FOWL SHOOTING. 
LoApING.—This is one of the most important 
things about using the shot-gun with success, and no 
matter how good a shot a man may be, if he is shoot- 
ing shells poorly and improperly loaded the effect is 
immediately noticeable. Too much pains can scarcely 
be taken in loading shells. There is a load designed 
to bring out the greatest shooting powers of every gun. 
What that load is, can only be ascertained by practical 
experience ; and when a man buys a new gun heshould 
experiment until he has learned the load that gives the 
desired effect. The old adage, ‘ more haste, less speed,” 
is illustrated in loading shells. Perhaps the construc- 
tion is not literal, and yet the gist is true, for the more 
haste in loading shells, the less good results are ob- 
tained. Let a hunter who knows he is an expert 
shot use shells either on wild fowl or at the trap that 
he doubts their effectiveness, and he cannot do himself 
justice, because, he does not feel absolutely sure of 
scoring the simplest shots. Then let him miss a few 
shots that he feels he should have made, and the’ day is 
spoiled for him; he either quits in disgust, or with 
grating teeth bangs away all day long, knowing he is 
bucking against an adverse fate. For a number of 
years I would not use any loaded shells other than those 
loaded by myself. I would not be so egotistical as to 
think others could not load them as well, and yet, when 
I loaded them myself, I had that confidence in the effi- 
cacy of the load, that when I missed a shot that ought 
to have been a hit, the shells were never blamed. 
There is a sense of satisfaction in this, that every ex- 
perienced hunter knows and has felt. How often it 
happens that hunting in a boat with a companion, one 
who has proved himself an excellent shot, through 
