GUN^REST. 427 



to shoot as he would wish to aim it, at a number of 

 fowl at one range only, and a move of his body or 

 a dozen birds in the stern of his punt will put all 

 aiming astray. If he happen on the fowl at a short 

 range, he has to lift his gun-muzzle off the rest 

 to fire down into them (the end of many a punt 

 has been thus blown open). Should the birds be 

 beyond his usual distance, yet not flying, he has to 

 fire from hand entirely and lift the barrel clear of 

 the rest. Some declare they can always do this last 

 act successfully, and so never carry a rest of any 

 kind, excepting a mere thin cross strip of wood, 

 just enough to keep the charge from striking the 

 deck when fired low, secured under the barrel 

 athwart the punt's deck. In my opinion, no human 

 hand can hold and fire a large gun at a sitting shot, 

 to its best effect, as the same gun would act if it were 

 rested and properly aimed from a steady support. 

 A flying shot is an easy matter in comparison ; but 

 to get the charge fairly among a lot of birds on the 

 ground or water is not really achieved once in three 

 times. I have experienced this over and over again 

 in my efforts to escape the trouble of taking out a 

 rest ; and though at times making excellent shots 

 from the hand, have always realized I should have 

 twice out of three times done more execution with 

 a support for the barrel. This was proved to me 

 most conclusively on several occasions when firing 

 without a rest at large numbers of fowl well placed, 

 in easy shot. Now and again I have so obtained 

 twenty Wigeon, where, had I adhered to the other 

 plan, forty would most surely have resulted from 

 the shot. The least deviation when firing from the 



