BAY-SNIPE SHOOTING. 207 



In field-shooting, I do not approve of carrying the 

 gun at half-cock, believing, for certain reasons un- 

 necessary here to repeat, that it is less dangerous at 

 full-cock ' } but in a stand or in a house, or in fact 

 anywhere but in the field where it is always in the 

 sportsman's hand, it should be never otherwise than 

 at half-cock. It is common to pass in front of guns 

 lying on the bench in the stand, and they often fall 

 off, and are usually reached for by the sportsman 

 while his eye is on the advancing flock, and does not 

 note whether his hand grasps the barrel or the trig- 

 gers ; and there is an excitement, when the flight is 

 rapid, sufficiently perilous of itself in connexion with 

 fire-arms, without uselessly increasing it. Every 

 precaution should therefore be taken ; and if by acci- 

 dent the gun which cannot go off at half-cock shall 

 be discharged in cocking or uncocking it, it will 

 point forward, away from the stand, and in such a 

 direction that injury to human life cannot follow. 



Next in importance to care in preventing the 

 gun's injuring a fellow-creature, is care in prevent- 

 ing its being injured. The least dampness, whether 

 from fog or rain, and even the salt air alone, will rust 

 the delicate steel and iron, and, penetrating farther 

 and farther, make indentations that will spoil its 

 beauty and injure its effectiveness permanently. To 

 prevent this, oil frequently applied is the only reme- 

 dy ; a rag well oiled, and a bottle to replenish from, 

 should be among the ordinary equipments, and in- 

 variably taken to the shooting-ground ; the first 

 symptom of rust or even discoloration should be re- 



