42 GAME-BIRDS A T HOME. 



without wavering or shedding a feather. What 

 wonder? What nerves would not flutter when a 

 fresh bird bustles out of the grass as you start to 

 pick up a fallen one and, killing the new one, see 

 the dog point still another before he or you can 

 reach either of the two that have fallen, and then 

 have a couple more spring right and left before 

 you can reach the dog? The finger will some- 

 times betray one and pull the trigger, when the 

 eye plainly sees the gun is not pointing right, 

 and sometimes it will tremble and balk upon the 

 trigger and disobey the will to pull at the right 

 time. Often, when a quick shot is necessary, the 

 gun fails to come to the right place when first 

 raised ; there is no time to shift it, and it is too 

 late to recall the order from the brain to the 

 finger. And often when tossed up at a crossing 

 bird it comes directly on the mark instead of 

 ahead, and the temptation to pull the trigger 

 without shifting the gun ahead is irresistible. 

 And often the gun strikes an unseen branch, or, 

 when wheeling suddenly with loaded pockets, one 

 is thrown out of balance and cannot recover in 

 time. These and a dozen other causes, above 

 all that mysterious "bad spell" which often 



