232 THE SPORTSMAN IN FRANCE. 



I do not say that this is uRiversally the 

 case, for a good sportsman will allow his 

 bird, young or old, to attain a certain dis- 

 tance before he fires ; but the novice is 

 too eager to behave with this requisite 

 coolness. 



A friend of mine, a very good shot too, 

 offends sadly in this particular, and bangs 

 away, right and left, as soon as the birds 

 rise. I was down with him in Yorkshire 

 not many seasons ago, on a very good 

 range of hills, and he bagged from thirty 

 to forty brace every day; but, from the 

 failing I have alluded to, he seldom 

 brought home more than three brace of 

 birds that were presentable. Some of 

 the younger ones were blown literally to 

 atoms, and were fit for nothing but pies 

 or soup — roasting them was out of the 

 question, for they would scarcely hang 

 together. 



Instead of ramming the game into the 

 bag en masse, I would recommend the 



