BULLET AND SHOT 



to render a combination of rapidity in the use of 

 the gun, with straight shooting on the part of the 

 sportsman essential for the achievement of success 

 in his pursuit. 



Most people seem to think that the Indian bird 

 is slower and less gyratic in his flight than his 

 confrere in the United Kingdom ; but, although 

 this is doubtless true under certain conditions, 

 considering the frequently arduous nature of the 

 walking, the terrible heat of the Indian sun (and 

 the combined effect of these upon the sportsman), 

 and contrasting such with the comparatively 

 pleasant and easy conditions under which snipe 

 are shot at home, I deem the Indian shooting 

 by far the more difficult of the two. Throughout 

 a long day, in which a large bag of snipe is made 

 in India, I am strongly of opinion that a sportsman 

 ivko shoots for a bag, and not for an average, does 

 really well if he has one bird to show for every 

 two and a half cartridges expended. Lost birds, 

 wounded birds which rise again, and long shots, 

 all help to swell the total of ammunition expended ; 

 and in my experience, very few men indeed who 

 try to bag everything within possible (which of 

 course includes some shots at almost impossible) 

 distances, can average more than one bird brought 

 home for every three cartridges used during the 

 day. At home, on the other hand, I should 

 consider such an average at snipe as very poor 

 indeed. Personally, I find that I can make a far 

 better average at a small number of snipe at home 

 than I ever could in India over bags of from 



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