100 FIELD SHOOTING. 



instant at random. I have shot thousands on thou- 

 sands myself, and know that my misses were com- 

 monly caused by being in too much of a hurry to 

 fire. When I have missed with the first and killed 

 with the second barrel, I have considered it a 

 plain proof that 1 ought to have let another 

 second elapse before firing the first barrel ; for 

 if a bird, flying in the open straight away, or 

 quartering, is well sighted with a good gun pro- 

 perly charged, it is next kin to a miracle for it 

 to escape. After good experience I resolved to 

 take more time in quail-shooting, and I ' have 

 found the practice answer. I can now kill nearly 

 every quail I shoot at within fair distance. Quail 

 generally lie close to the dog when they will lie 

 at all well, and do not get up until the shooter is 

 near them. The experience of sportsmen will 

 confirm this, and it will show that there is no 

 reason whatever for shooting in a hurried man- 

 ner, but very strong reasons for guarding against 

 it. By taking time you not only get the bird 

 well sighted, but the extra distance it has gone 

 gives the shot so much more chance to spread, 

 and thus increases the chance to kill. 



A few years ago, after the close of the war, I 

 went, in the middle of January, on a shooting 



