310 TRAP SHOOTING. 



is an element of chance brought in. One man may 

 happen to- get nearly all fast, driving birds, and 

 another all slow, easy ones. Now, that is not 

 the way to find out the best shooters. The 

 more the element of chance is admitted, the less 

 likely skill with the gun is to win. A fast r 

 driving bird is killed, but gets out of bounds, 

 A slow one is not hit half as well, but drops 

 inside, and is scared. But the man who lost 

 his bird really made the best shot. 



If I had to make rules to govern pigeon- 

 shooting, I should establish a new principle by 

 sweeping away an old but mischievous rule. I 

 would adopt the Prairie Club rules of twenty-one 

 yards rise for single birds, and eighteen for double 

 birds ; but I would do- away the boundary limifc 

 altogether. If the shooter recovered his bird 

 within three minutes, he should count it, subject, 

 of course, to the rules as to mode of recovery. 

 When a man makes a splendid shot at a fast, 

 driving bird, and it falls dead just out of bounds, it 

 is decided against him by the arbitrary nature of 

 the rule merejy, and not by the principles of rea- 

 son and sense. I have no individual interest to 

 promote by suggesting this change. I find my- 

 self excluded from about nine out of every ten 



