MANAGEMENT OF THE GUN 135 



more or less straight away from the shooter. But 

 I suspect it is generally a case of behind. The 

 curious thing is that, when for a while I am killing 

 a fast rabbit dead every other shot on an average, 

 I am not particularly conscious of shooting well in 

 front. Eye and arm, being on excellent terms, 

 seem to do the work without the active interven- 

 tion of the will. Still, I advise that you should 

 constantly bear in mind the necessity of shooting 

 in front, of being well up to the moving object ; 

 it will then tend more and more to become an 

 unconscious habit. I should say but few gunners 

 are often too much ahead of fast-moving game. 



What has been said about the necessity of shoot- 

 ing ahead of the object aimed at applies to all 

 game, furred and feathered alike, offering broad- 

 side shots, as well as to rabbits going away from 

 the shooter. How far ahead you must fire you can 

 learn only by experience ; there is no other way. 

 I have not shot driven grouse. I have shot a 

 certain number of partridges and pheasants going 

 at about the top of their speed, and many, many 

 rabbits moving as fast as they possibly can, and 

 what has struck me has been that the successful 

 and clean shots have not been aimed quite so far 

 ahead as might be supposed, but still distinctly 

 ahead. As to pheasants, partridges, woodcocks, 

 and other birds going away from the shooter, 

 here, I believe, though I cannot be perfectly sure, 

 that when I miss I have been beneath my bird. 

 Be, if anything, a little above the bird that is going 



