ENGLISH DRIVING 197 



wind you have to turn round with extreme quickness, 

 and must be free in your movements, with your feet on 

 level ground. When you come to the pick-up, bear 

 in mind that your dead birds will all be much farther 

 back than you would suppose, and that you will have 

 none, except cross shots, in front of your butt. Take 

 your dog right away back at once to a point a little 

 farther off than your farthest bird, and then hunt him 

 up carefully towards the butt, so as to give him the 

 full benefit of the wind. 



In conclusion, never wait to kill a bird behind the 

 line while it is possible to kill him in front ; but be 

 careful not to dwell upon or follow birds coming into 

 the line, this being the most fruitful cause of accident. 



Thus may one endeavour to instruct those who 

 are beginning to practise this most engaging of all 

 forms of shooting. There are a few further points 

 I would urge, on some of which I must disagree with 

 what has been written elsewhere, though I am against 

 splitting straws with persons who have undoubtedly 

 brought much study to bear upon the subject. I can- 

 not agree with one well-known authority, who advises 

 men never to shoot at birds which settle in front. I 

 would always recommend shooting at them even up 

 to seventy or eighty yards off. First, as remarked 

 above, they can be killed up to a good distance : 



