SHOOTING. 131 



unnerved fa* shooting, by ill health, oppression of mind, 

 one night's debauch, or any thing that will operate on 

 the temper or nerves. 



One, who vexes himself about missing a fair shot, is 

 the less likely to support himself at all times as a first- 

 rate performer, because that vexation alone might be 

 the very means of his missing other shots, and there- 

 fore he could not be so much depended on as another 

 man, who bore the disappointment with good-humour. 

 When a good shot misses, from being nervous, it gene- 

 rally occurs through his left hand dropping as he pulls 

 the trigger; and, if it happens that his gun should 

 miss fire, he will immediately detect this, by seeing 

 that the muzzle has fallen below the line of aim. 

 The best way to remedy this is to make a firm reso- 

 lution to fire full high, and firmly grasp the stock for 

 & few shots; and, as soon as a few birds have fallen 

 handsomely, he will, most likely, recover his nerves 

 and his shooting. I have luckily felt just enough of 

 this annoyance to enable me to prescribe a little remedy 

 for it ; as I well know the unpleasant feelings of a 

 shooting sportsman when deprived of his usual skill : 

 he becomes, like one with gout, love, or sea-sickness, 

 cruelly tormented, and laughed at into the bargain. 



When two persons are shooting together, there cannot 

 be a more simple way of avoiding confusion than for 

 each man, when a covey rises, to select the outer birds 

 on his own side. Let all birds that cross belong exclu- 

 sively to that shooter for whose side their heads are 

 pointed ; and let all single birds, that may rise and go 

 away fair for either person, be taken alternately, and 

 left entirely for the two barrels of the shooter to whom 



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