126 EXTRACTS FROM NOTE-BOOKS. CH. XXVII. 



excepting when the animal is crossing you. 

 Different guns, however, carry effectively different 

 sized shot; and therefore the same rules do not apply 

 to all. Some guns also shoot cartridges in a very 

 different manner from others ; and I should wish 

 it to be clearly understood that I do not lay down 

 these suggestions as infallible rules, but merely as 

 the results of my own experience, hoping that some 

 of my readers may profit by them. In all matters 

 of this sort I consider that much more information 

 is gained by the reader if an author is content 

 simply to mark down ascertained facts. If too 

 much decision is assumed, and mere hearsay asser- 

 tions are put down as "facts" — if he lays down 

 as general rules what may be applicable only to 

 particular cases — perhaps solely to his own, an 

 author will on this subject, as on most others, do 

 more harm than good. " Quot homines, tot sen- 

 terdiw" and although half of what I write may 

 probably not meet the ideas of many of my readers, 

 I offer it all, leaving it to every one to extract what 

 is applicable to his own pursuits, and hoping that 

 there may be few who will not find some hint or 

 other, or some chance bit of information which 

 may aid them in their amusements. 



Amongst the mass of books written on subjects 

 of natural history, it is curious to see the number- 



