198 A Bit of Grouse Hunter's Lore. 



grouse at the instant of firing, the charge 

 of shot would pass far to the rear of the 

 game. It is necessary to know approxi- 

 mately the length of time required for 

 combustion of the powder, the time occu- 

 pied by the charge of shot in reaching any 

 given point, and to judge correctly of the 

 distance and direction of the angles and 

 curves of flight of the bird. All of the 

 factors excepting the first vary with each 

 fraction of a second after the bird is on 

 wing, so it would seem almost impossible 

 that any one could be capable of making 

 the calculations requisite for striking a 

 swift-speeding grouse among the trees 

 were it not for the aid of that peculiar 

 faculty of instinctive co-ordination in 

 action of brain and muscle. A strong 

 bird is not easily killed even when fairly hit, 

 and it seemed cruel to allow a wounded 

 grouse to escape, but men who have been 

 struck with shot testify that the benumb- 

 ing effect was such that they did not 

 suffer any real pain after the receipt of the 

 injury. When we know what a fox or 

 hawk would do with a captured grouse it 

 makes the hunter's conscience easy. 



