MORE DRIVING 217 



The habits you contract in your early 

 days will stick to you for life, and it is 

 much better to start by missing birds in 

 good style than to kill a few by poking, 

 ugly shooting. You must select the spot 

 at which your shot should intercept the 

 bird, and trust to your gun to do the rest. 

 If your gun fits you well, and you have 

 learnt to handle it properly, it should come 

 up exactly where you want it to, and you 

 cannot hope to improve matters by trying 

 to take a conscious aim once the gun is at 

 the shoulder. 



As long as there are any birds coming 

 to you in front you must never turn round. 

 You will find your natural tendency, 

 after missing a bird in front or killing one 

 out of a covey, is to turn round and try 

 conclusions with them again when they 

 have passed the line. There is no harm 

 in this in a moderate drive, when birds 

 are few and far between. But in a good 

 drive, when birds are coming to you 

 steadily in a long stream, you will find 

 that to turn round will place you at a 



