362 LETTERS TO YOUNG SHOOTERS LETTER xxn. 



to fire at till behind your shelter, which means an 

 aim delayed by having to judge the position of the 

 bird again as it reappears to your view. With a safety 

 frame you never lose sight of a passing bird, and this 

 is much in favour of killing it. 



A stick fixed on each side of a shelter a usual 

 custom is no protection, as the only direction you 

 cannot fire in is merely the thickness of the stick. 

 Two sticks, placed at least 12 in. apart, are better 

 than one, though an excitable shooter might quite 

 possibly fire between the sticks. 



A board is worst of all, as it is apt to blow down 

 in the middle of a drive, and, like sods of turf placed 

 to raise a shelter at its sides, will intercept your sight 

 of a bird flying past you to the right or left. 



It will be seen from this that to free grouse 

 driving from all chance of accident, the object is not 

 to shield the shooters from being struck by the pellets 

 fired from a carelessly aimed gun, but to place it out 

 of the power of any shooter to even fire a shot that is 

 the least likely to imperil his companions. 



