THE STOCKING OF GUNS. 3 



would not give up the search, so I went forward alone ; 

 some time afterwards he joined me, but his perseverance 

 had not been rewarded. All that day he lamented over 

 this lost bird, for, like many of our fishing friends, he 

 doubtlessly thought it (because it was not bagged) far 

 larger and far finer than any obtained. The reason for the 

 so frequent loss of the few birds he hit was this : the 

 victims seldom received more than a stray grain outside 

 the disc described by the shot, and therefore were not 

 seriously wounded. That there are many like my friend 

 I know, and I fear it will be a hopeless task to endeavour 

 to make them good shots ; at the same time I think there 

 are many bad shots who might be much improved. 



I believe that too much importance cannot be attached 

 to the stocking of guns. Occasionally one will meet with 

 men who appear to do equal execution with either a 

 crooked, straight, long, or short stock ; but such are rare, 

 and when found you may feel certain that they have 

 possessed unusual opportunities for practice. The length 

 of man's arm, neck, and conformation of shoulder are so 

 various, that seldom will a gun come up alike to different 

 individuals ; the straight, tall figure wants a crooked 

 stock ; the short, stout person, the reverse ; and inter- 

 mediate figures, the bend between both extremes. I once 

 possessed an excellent gun, with which I invariably 

 acquitted myself creditably. The stock had always been 

 an eyesore, for it was composed of objectionable wood, 

 and the previous owner had chipped and scratched it so 

 badly that, after lengthened hesitation, I determined to 

 have it re-stocked. However, when it reverted from the 



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