162 SNIPE SHOOTING COMBINED 



Mr. Martin, it appears, has published my letter in 

 his second edition, from which I copy it verbatim, and 

 wherein he does me the honour to say 



" Major P. Hawker, who is an entire stranger to 

 me, further than as the well-known author of that 

 much-admired work, entitled ' Instructions to Young 

 Sportsmen,' has done me the favour to transmit the 

 following letter : 



" Longparish House, October llth, 1818. 



" SlR, 



" On my return to this place, I was favoured with 

 a copy of the * Sportsman's Calendar,' which you have done me the 

 honour to send ; and which, no less for its utility than for the re- 

 membrance of your attention, shall have a place in my library. 



" I can, without flattery, assure you, that I am well pleased with 

 the work, because you have comprised, in a small compass, all the 

 necessary information ; and, instead of prosing on the various sub- 

 jects, and taking up the trade of book-making, by the detail of use- 

 less anecdotes, that are perhaps nothing more extraordinary than 

 have occurred to every old sportsman, or have been handed, for ages, 

 from one book to another, you have judiciously inserted that which 

 is most useful on other points. In short, you have given, in the way 

 of directions, recipes, &c., all that can be required for a good sports- 

 man ; and then, very properly, devoted the remainder of your little 

 volume to the purpose of becoming an universal, though portable, 

 calendar. 



" As I see you have thought a few of my instructions worthy of 

 notice, permit me to observe, that there are two points on which I 

 dissent from you in opinion : 



" 1st. About cocking the gun after the bird rises: I have so 

 many times nearly had one of my dogs killed by young shooters 

 letting the cock escape from the thumb before the scear had caught 

 the tumbler (through eagerness to fire), that I have, by subsequent 

 experience, found less danger in allowing them to cock their gun 

 when the dog stands, making it my first object to see that their 

 guns are always carried in a safe direction. No man can kill double 

 shots brilliantly in December, if he takes down his gun to cock the 



