THE ART OF SHOOTING ON THE WING. 271 



is to be exercised, and much practice is neces- 

 sary to attain it. There is always a certain space 

 of time between the aim and the arrival of the 

 shot at the mark ; and if the mark is moving 

 across the muzzle of the gun, allowance must be 

 made for it. Birds overhead are always crossing 

 the muzzle of the gun, unless they see the shooter 

 and tower up. After the taking of the aim, 

 though ever so little after, the trigger has to be 

 pulled, the hammer has to fall, the powder has 

 to be ignited, and the shot to be propelled to 

 the object shot at. Now, I often noticed that 

 in shooting at the leading duck of a flock pass- 

 ing overhead which did not see me, and tower, 

 I missed the one I shot at, and killed another 

 one two feet behind the one which led the van 

 and was aimed at. This made me resolve to hold 

 more forward than I had been doing. Pintails 

 'and teal fly faster than mallards, and a little more 

 allowance in taking aim will be good. I have seen 

 a pintail killed which was three feet behind the 

 duck shot at, and this more than once. 



Wild geese and crane are slow flyers, and at 

 these all that is necessary is to aim at the head, be- 

 hind which there is the large body. But in shoot- 

 ing at wild geese and crane with large shot, and 



