2 PRAIRIE AND FOREST. 



certain to tell me that he had discovered the reason for his 

 apparent want of skill. How various the causes attributed, 

 would be beyond possibility of enumeration ; however, be 

 always devised some means of counteracting them viz. 

 by stuffing cotton in his ears, not to hear the spring of the 

 game ! to wear a loose collar, so that he could the better 

 and more rapidly bring the head to the stock ; to discard 

 a waistcoat, for the thickness of clothing militated against 

 bringing up his gun. However, he was always wounding 

 birds at least he said so ; for constantly, if near, he 

 would call out, " Don't you see the feathers fly ? " which, 

 perhaps owing to my less keen vision, I never did, save 

 it were the feathers flying off with the bird. Another 

 peculiarity this gentleman possessed was, that although 

 lie might have discharged the entire contents of his shot- 

 pouch without bagging a single head, when separated from 

 me, as soon as we both shot over the same point, one or 

 other of the birds knocked down was due to his skill ; 

 doubtless companionship reassured him, or induced him 

 to take more pains. I would advise such, therefore, 

 always to shoot in company, only I would rather be 

 excused becoming the company. Of course occasionally 

 he would knock over a bird, but when this took place it 

 either was lost or took no end of trouble to secure. I 

 remember one instance, in a marsh where we were snipe- 

 shooting, a number of mallards flushed within easy range ; 

 following the report of his gun, one of the greenheads left 

 its companions, sailed round several times, each circle 

 becoming lower and lesi contracted, till it dropped. Half 

 an hour was fruitlessly wasted looking for it, my friend 



