134 SHOOTING. 



hand, throwing up, and hitting, two penny-pieces, or 

 halfpence, it is no more than what many good shots can 

 do, by the mere knack of catching the first just after 

 the turriy and presenting well under the second : but 

 the other performance is really a difficulty. Let some 

 of the pigeon-shooters try this, by way of a " spree," 

 and they will save a deal of innocent blood, and find 

 they have enough to do. Most people will say, " This 

 is not like shooting birds." True ; but I say this, it 

 distinguishes, to speak musically, the prestissimo from 

 the allegro in handling a double gun; and this is one 

 of the points by which we may judge as to the brilliant 

 or first-rate style of shooting. But Ford is a capital 

 game-shot also; and, as for his talent as a dove-butcher, 

 a pair of old blues have no chance with him ; though he 

 is unknown to all the celebrated artists of the trap. 

 (His gun was made by Willmot of Andover, successor 

 to Long, and ifeve of Parsons; and never, since the 

 days of Joe, have I seen one that pleased me better in 

 the mounting.) 



Many sportsmen of the old school would be quite 

 irritated if laughed at for their extreme caution in 

 never allowing their gun to be cocked till after the 

 bird had risen; but if they will show me one among 

 them that can cock a gun, and bring down a snap shot 

 with as little loss of time as one who had nothing to 

 do but to present and fire, and particularly in making 

 double shots, I will resign all pretensions to argument 

 on the subject. This system may have done very well 

 half a century ago, when they might almost have " put 

 salt on the birds' tails," and when the art of neatly 

 using the second barrel was wholly unknown ; or even 



