232 " FRANK FORESTER S FIELD SPORTS. 



carries its shot very closely, and that loaded with Ely's patent 

 cartridfj-e, which are propelled full one-third farther and more 

 strono-lv than loose shot — and to conclude, I was perfectly cool, 

 and makinn- allowance for the distance and velocity of the birds, 

 fired both barrels. To my infinite disgust neither bird fell, and 

 I need not add, to the infinite mirth of my companions, who 

 accused me of missing two perfectly fair shots in the open. 

 « I replied, thereby greatly increasing their memment, that I 

 had not missed either bird, and that I had hit both in front of 

 the wing, that is to say in the most vital part of the body ; at 

 which they laughed ineffably ; but in the end it turned out as 

 usual that the last laugher has the best of it. 



For, to proceed, we marked the bulk of the bevy into the 

 woodland I have mentioned, at least a quarter of a mile down 

 wind, and followed them thither. 



But on arriving at the stone wall which bounded it on the 

 nearer side, both my dogs stood almost simultaneously, and 

 immediately retrieved the two birds I had shot at, perfectly 

 dead, but both warm, and both bleed' ng from the hill. 



The shots I fired were the first shots fired that morning, con- 

 sequently they must have been my birds, and they had flown 

 after being mortally struck, above a quarter of a mile, and 

 would probably have flown considerably farther, skimming 

 close to the ground, had not the stone wall, against which, I 

 have no doubt, they struck, brought them up at last. From 

 curiosity I kept the two birds apart, and on picking them found 

 in one five, in the other seven. No. 8 shot in the neck and 

 breast in front of the wing. 



The comparative size of No. 8 shot to a Quail, is about that 

 of grape shot to a man, and to judge of the tenacity of life and 

 muscular motion, we must imagine a man running half a mile 

 at the top of his pace with seven grape shot, as big as a mode- 

 rate sized plum, through his neck and the cavity of the sternum 

 — a thing palpably impossible ! 



'• We will now proceed to the consideration of the means of 

 overcoming these difficulties, and the best method of carrying 



