THE STOCKING OF GUNS. 8 



fishing friends, he doubtlessly thought it (because it 

 was not bagged) far larger and far finer than any 

 obtained. The reason for the so frequent loss of the 

 few birds he hit was this : the victims seldom received 

 more than a stray grain outside the disc described 

 by the shot, and therefore were not seriously 

 wounded. That there are many like my friend I 

 know, and I fear it will be a hopeless task to endeavour 

 to make them good shots ; at the same time I think 

 there are many bad shots who might be much im- 

 proved. 



I believe that too much importance cannot be at- 

 tached to the stocking of guns. Occasionally one will 

 meet with men who appear to do equal execution with 

 either a crooked, straight, long, or short stock ; but 

 such are rare, and when found you may feel certain 

 that they have possessed unusual opportunities for 

 practice. The length of man's arm, neck, and confor- 

 mation of shoulder are so various, that seldom will a 

 gun come up alike to different individuals ; the straight, 

 tall figure wants a crooked stock ; the short, stout per- 

 son, the reverse ; and intermediate figures, the bend 

 between both extremes. I once possessed an excellent 

 gun, with whicli I invariably acquitted myself credit- 

 ably. The stock had always been an eyesore, for it 

 was composed of objectionable wood, and the previous 

 owner had chipped and scratched it so badly that, after 

 lengthened hesitation, I determined to have it re- 

 stocked. However, when it reverted from the gui> 

 maker to my hands, I was surprised how indifferently 

 I shot with it ; but, on examination, I found that the 

 new stock was much straighter than the old. Again : 

 being in a neighbourhood where game was abundant, 



B 2 



