362 FIRING A PUNT-GUN. 



As it becomes necessary, when approaching wild 

 birds, to be well concealed in your punt, you are obliged 

 to fire these guns, lying down as close as possible on 

 your chest. For which some have a wedge to support 

 the breast. If you put your cheek to the stock, your 

 shoulder-bone in contact with the but, or your second 

 finger behind the trigger, you run a risk of having 

 them severely jarred; but, if you manage the gun pro- 

 perly, the sensation, with a light charge, is no more 

 than that of firing powder from a small gun ; and the 

 report, to the shooter, seems a mere nothing. To fire 

 a stanchion gun, put your left hand over the but, and 

 regulate it to the line of aim, while your cheek gently 

 grazes the back of the hand. Put all the fingers of 

 your right hand before the trigger, keeping the thumb 

 out of the way; and be careful not to let your knees 

 come in contact with the timbers of the boat. By ob- 

 serving well these directions, a child might fire this gun 

 with as much safety as the smallest fowling-piece. 



In firing a punt-gun (without any stanchion) from 

 the shoulder, you must lean hard against the upper 

 part of the padded but ; and have the gun as top-heavy 

 as you can possibly overbear, by which means the fric- 

 tion of the stock against the "gunning-bench," and^the 

 check of your shoulder, prevents the gun from running 

 too far under your arm. Never attempt to shoot a 

 barrel so short as six feet in this way, as it might fly 

 up and hurt you. Always try these guns with a quar- 

 ter of a charge first ; and increase the loading with an 

 ounce of shot each round. By this means you avoid 

 the risk of a recoil, as you then gradually ascertain how 

 much ammunition can be fired with perfect ease to the 

 shoulder. 



