42 ON THE WING. 



for a mark a wide board with a centre-spot either 

 black, white, or red, about the size of a dollar. As 

 soon as your sight, or barrel-range, meets the mark, 

 blaze away, without stopping to think or dwell upon 

 the aim. . Keep as cool as if there were no shot in the 

 gun. Fire away in this manner, without studying 

 your aim, always covering the mark as nearly as you 

 can, and never taking down your gun before it is dis- 

 charged. No good shot with a fowling-piece always 

 expects to make an exact aim at his target. If the 

 line of his barrels comes within an inch or two of 

 the mark, he is sure to pull trigger instantly, and is 

 sure to hit. Do not pull the trigger with a jerk, 

 but rather with a lively pressure which will not make 

 the line of the barrels deviate. After shooting in 

 this way for a dozen or twenty times, you will be 

 very likely to hit the mark every time. If after much 

 trial you do not hit, study yourself, that you may see 

 where the error is, and correct it. It is presumed 

 that you have good judgment and reasoning powers ; 

 if you have not, do not try to become a sportsman. 



During all these operations, preserve a perfectly 

 easy and natural position ; and, when you are about to 

 shoot, do not spend time and thought in adjusting 

 yourself. And it is best, while beginning to practise 

 with the target, to shoot entirely alone. Friends and 

 companions standing about are apt to be merely a 

 hindrance. 



Having now attained sufficient skill to hit the target 

 easily and accurately, without dwelling upon the sight, 

 you should abandon target-practice, and shoot at the 



