198 LETTERS TO YOUNG SHOOTERS 



shoots as if he were in an African Jungle, and no other 

 human being within twenty miles of him. "When 

 you are standing at the end of a covert, he will, if 

 walking up with the beaters, fire at low skimming 

 birds that rise in front of him, and between himself 

 and the forward guns, without remorse.* 



Do not omit to post your guns with a view to their 

 all enjoying their share of good places. If one gun 

 obtains little shooting at a stand for pheasants, place 

 him where he will probably have plenty of firing on a 

 subsequent occasion ; or if a gun is lucky in his 

 number of shots, give him a turn with the beaters for 

 a change, in order, as you may kindly suggest, to cool 

 his gun. 



Previous to shooting through your coverts you 

 can, if you like to be particular, arrange the places 

 for the shooters to stand, by inserting sticks in the 

 ground with their upper ends slit, each to hold a small 

 piece of white paper. One method of doing this, and 

 at the same time of dealing out the best places to the 

 shooters in turn, is as follows : 



Purchase (if you expect six friends) a number of 

 cards the size of playing cards, in sets of six different 

 colours, as blue, white, red, yellow, green, and pink. 



* I once heard a jungle hunter apologising to a shooter, whom 

 he had peppered in the legs as the result of tiring at a low bird. He 

 said, ' I am really most distressed at this dreadful accident, 

 Mr. Blank, but the fact is I could not have killed the bird unless I 

 had shot when I did.' 



