SHOOTING. 129 



in covert, &c., and, taking all chances, about eight or 

 ten of which ought to have been killed ? It is generally 

 the mistaken idea of those who are no judges of shooting, 

 that if a man kills a certain number of times without 

 missing, he is to be put down as a first-rate shot ; and 

 that another person, because he has been seen to miss, 

 is to be considered as his inferior. 



For example, the one man goes out and springs birds 

 enough to fire fifty times, within forty yards, and per- 

 haps, being a reputation shooter, only twenty of these 

 shots happen to suit his fancy. He never fires a second 

 barrel unless the birds rise one at a time, or a covey 

 happens to spring from under his feet ; and, in short, 

 he kills his twenty birds in twenty shots. The other 

 man takes the whole of the fifty shots, many of which 

 may be very difficult ones, and under extreme disad- 

 vantages : he kills thirty-five, and misses fifteen. A 

 fair sportsman and really good judge, I conceive, would 

 not hesitate to say, that the latter has claim to be con- 

 sidered the better shot of the two. 



We will then bring a first-rate shot into the field, 

 and he shall kill forty-five out of the fifty (never failing 

 of course to work both his barrels on every fair occasion) : 

 he will then have missed five times ; and would any 

 old sportsman judge so unfairly as to place before him 

 the never-miss gentleman with his twenty trap shots 

 running ? 



For my part, I should not, even if he missed an open 

 shot or two within five yards of his nose ; because such 

 a circumstance might arise from his being nervous, or 

 an accident, when the other, if put to the difficulties 

 that he had been doing, would acquit himself no better 

 than an old woman. 



K 



