20 ON THE WING. 



of the gun out of the true line of aim, and conse- 

 quently make poor shooting. 



Avoid as much as possible all gaudiness in the look 

 of the gun. Even if it be a really valuable one, the 

 experienced sportsman will be inclined to doubt its 

 merits. The Germans have flooded the American 

 market with cheap guns, toggled off with German- 

 silver trimmings, and highly-colored varnished stocks ; 

 which are by no means trustworthy, but are about as 

 dangerous at one end as at the other. 



Usually sportsmen of the United States think too 

 much of shooting closely ; that is, of having the 

 charge of shot carried to a long distance, while cover- 

 ing a very small surface. Now, if our only desidera- 

 tum were target-shooting, or the shooting of hens and 

 turkeys, which used to take place at our old-fashioned 

 Christmases and Thanksgivings, we admit that dis- 

 tance' and closeness would be the standards. But if 

 the gun is really to be used for brush-shooting, for 

 killing woodcock, quail, and partridge, — which are 

 certainly the most difficult game to kill clean and well, 

 — a gun which concentrates its shot at a long distance 

 would be a poor instrument to work with. Brush- 

 shooting is generally made at short distances from the 

 shooter, and resembles snap-shooting rather than open 

 field-shooting. All practised sportsmen know that 

 eight out of ten game-birds brought to bag are struck 

 at from four to six rods' distance from the shooter. 

 A gun of the kind just mentioned, if used in brush- 

 shooting, would either tear the game, when held straight 

 on to the bird, or in most cases would probably go 



