BREAKING AND HANDLING. 283 



the graces of a Chesterfield. They will also greatly add to 

 the tyro's opportunities of learning how to deport himself 

 properly in the company of other sportsmen. He will learn 

 to avoid certain offensive violations of field etiquette to 

 which beginners some very experienced ones are prone ; 

 acts which derogate from otherwise charming companion- 

 ableness. Without a knowledge of the unwritten laws and 

 amenities of sportsmanship, the beginner, whether expe- 

 rienced or inexperienced, will infallibly transgress them, 

 either by extreme forwardness or backwardness, or both ; 

 for a painful and uncomfortable excess of modesty, or 

 affectation of it, is quite as annoying, and at times as dila- 

 tory as its opposite. Sport which would be most pleasu- 

 rable in every feature under polite circumstances may be 

 marred or spoiled by the uncontrollable selfishness of one 

 companion. If a set of rules were delicately presented to 

 such to read, with certain marked passages in them which 

 happily applied to his case, it might be conducive to his 

 improvement if he were not so self-complacent as to pre- 

 clude all improving innovations. 



There are very few surroundings in civilized society 

 which will develop a man's real nature so thoroughly and 

 accurately as shooting in company, or an outing in camp. 

 Under ordinary conditions, a man has two or three natures, 

 one he shows to the world, one he does not, and one which 

 he thinks he has. Too often the man whose nature is sunny 

 when he is surrounded with comforts displays the most 

 astonishing and unexpected selfishness, f retfulness or aggres- 

 siveness when circumstances afield combine to his discom- 

 fort of mind or body. For this reason the experienced 

 sportsman is very careful in his choice of company. The 

 man who is careless with his gun ; who thinks that a hunt is 

 synonymous with a carousal ; who thinks it is a shooting 

 competition ; who thinks it is solely for his own use and 



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