130 MANUAL FOR YOUNG SPORTSMEN. 



without an effort, to the proper place, is to fire hastily, on 

 a dark night, at a lighted candle placed against a wall, at 

 about forty paces distant." 



This, it may be observed, is very well for one who is 

 already " a shot," to try a gun ; but it gives no clue to the 

 attainment of the skill which enables the gunner to cover 

 his object quickly and correctly. What follows is ex- 

 cellent. 



" When a person is nervous, or afraid of recoil, he 

 naturally raises his head, and consequently shoots above 

 the mark ; on firing he unconsciously throws his head back, 

 and then, seeing the bird above the end of the gun, he 

 fancies he shot under it, when the reverse is the fact. 



" We may also observe, that if the shooter do not keep 

 his head down to the stock, he will probably draw it aside, 

 so that his aim will be as if taken from the left hammer, 

 which would of course throw the charge as much to the 

 left of the mark, as raising the head would above it. 



" The main point, then, in taking aim is to keep the 

 head down to the stock and the eye low behind the breech. 

 The sportsman, who can from habit or practice, invariably 

 bring his eye down to the same place and keep it steadily 

 there, so that he always begins the race from the same 

 starting point, will distance all competitors." 



This is indisputably true, and all old sportsmen, who 

 shoot sufficiently well to reason on, and account for the 

 causes of their shooting ill, on some, one or other, day, 

 whether from being physically or mentally out of order, 

 long out of practice, or other accidents, are aware of this 

 habit of throwing up the head, when unsteady, at the 



