128 ifcfnas of tfee 1Rofc, IRffle, an& (Bun 



Daniel, killed with forty-three consecutive shots at 

 partridge, pheasant, woodcock, and hare. 



The parson also tells us that in November, 1801, 

 Sir Wilfrid Lawson's keeper "killed sixteen woodcock 

 at a shot y and to make the miracle still stranger, one 

 of the unfortunate birds was of a light yellow colour 

 with yellow legs " ! This is a feat of which one would 

 have liked to learn some further particulars. As it 

 stands in that bald statement, one may be permitted 

 to doubt its veracity, despite the circumstantial detail 

 of the yellow legs. I can believe the statement that 

 the Duke of Maryborough's keeper once killed twenty- 

 two snipe at a single shot, because I have done some 

 execution myself upon a big whisp of snipe, rising 

 suddenly like a flock of starlings, but sixteen woodcock 

 at a shot - ! ! ! 



As a set-off to these miraculous feats of shooting, 

 take the following instances of almost equally remark- 

 able bad shooting. In 1806 four gentlemen of Camber- 

 well competed in a five-guinea pigeon sweepstake, twelve 

 birds apiece. Each man fancied himself as a shot, and 

 there was heavy betting on the issue of the match. But 

 not a single bird was killed by any one of the four ! For 

 the absolutely worst shoot on record, however, commend 

 me to the following, which took place in 1788 : 



" On the day before one of the annual parties at 

 Clumber broke up, two sets went out, each consisting 

 of three persons, and a bet was laid which should kill 

 most game. It was computed that, on an average, each 

 man of the six got sixty shots : total, 360. The winning 

 Triumvirate killed THREE birds! The shooters were, 



