SHOOTING. 



to bag a dozen head of game without missing, he has 

 not refused at least twenty ^shots, in covert, &c., and, 

 taking all chances, about eight or ten of which ought 

 to have been killed? It is generally the mistaken 

 idea of those who are no judges of shooting, that 

 if a man kills a certain number of times without 

 missing, he is to be put down as a first-rate shot, arid 

 that another person, because he has been seen to 

 miss, is to be considered as his inferior. 



For example, the one man goes out and springs 

 birds enough to fire fifty times, within forty yards, 

 arid perhaps, being a reputation shooter, only twenty 

 of these shots happen to suit his fancy. He never 

 fires a second barrel unless the birds rise one at a 

 time, or a covey happens to spring from under his 

 feet; and, in short, he kills his twenty birds in 

 twenty shots. The other man takes the whole of the 

 fifty shots, many of which may be very difficult ones, 

 and under extreme disadvantages : he kills thirty-five, 

 and misses fifteen. A fair sportsman and really good 

 judge, I conceive, would not hesitate to say, that the 

 latter has claim to be considered the better shot of 

 the two. 



We will then bring a first-rate shot into the field, 

 and he shall kill forty-five out of the fifty (never- 

 failing of course to work both his barrels on every 

 fair occasion) : he will then have missed five times ; 

 and would any old sportsman judge so unfairly as to 

 place htfore him the necer-miss gentleman with his 

 twenty trap shots running? 



