496 THE HUNTING GKOUNDS 



It must be obvious to all, that the flight of the 

 bullet occupies a certain time, and in firing at mov- 

 ing objects a certain allowance should be made 

 accordingly, and great judgment is required in this 

 point when firing at long ranges. For instance, in 

 deer-stalking, if a deer is running transversely either 

 to the right or left, a sportsman aiming directly at 

 the shoulder would most likely either strike the 

 hind-quarter or miss by shooting behind, as, in the 

 time between the discharge of his rifle and the im- 

 pact or striking of the bullet, the quarry would have 

 moved forward a certain distance. The following 

 hints on this point may aid the novice : — 



In firing at anything moving, it is advisable to 

 " cover" the object and allow the muzzle to follow it 

 for some distance before pulling the trigger, in 

 order to ascertain the velocity of the motion and 

 the allowances required to be made. 



If the object is directly approaching the person 

 firing, the muzzle of the barrel should be gradually 

 lowered, the finger feeling the trigger all the time, 

 and aim should be taken low. 



If the object is retiring, the muzzle of the rifle 

 should be raised, (more or less according to the dis- 

 tance and the velocity of motion of the object,) and 

 aim taken high. 



If the object is moving across, either to the right 

 or left, aim should be taken well forward, after 

 having followed the motion with the object well 

 covered for some time. 



