PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS. 13 



nary shooting attitude. Formerly it was the custom to make 

 it a rule that the gun should be held below the shoulder until 

 the trap is pulled, but this led to so many wrangles, and on 

 the whole there is so little gained by having the gun up, 

 except with single traps, that there is now no restriction 

 whatever. When one trap only is employed, which is very 

 rarely the case in a match, the gun certainly ought not to 

 be at the shoulder, because the shooter then covers the trap, 

 and the moment it is open and the bird rises, he pulls, with 

 a great chance of killing, especially if the bird goes straight 

 away. If, however, it flies right or left, there is no great 

 advantage, even with one trap. When five are used, it is a 

 positive disadvantage to the shooter, unless there is collusion 

 between him and the puller of the traps, who may in some 

 way indicate which he is about to pull, and then the gun 

 may cover that one in readiness each time. Or the shooter 

 may make his selection, and the puller, seeing which he 

 covers, may give him that bird every time; and this trick I 

 have certainly seen played on more than one occasion. Where, 

 however, there is any positive fraud practised, it is more 

 commonly done by means of the quality of the birds used for 

 each of the antagonists. It is to avoid these several chances 

 of trickery that it is sometimes arranged for each shooter to 

 pull for his antagonist, and certainly there can be no objec- 

 tion to the plan if both are skilful enough to execute it well ; 

 but it requires some little practice to avoid showing before- 

 hand which string is going to be pulled, and at the same time 

 run no risk of pulling more than one. 



In shooting at pigeons when they turn right or left, the 

 gun must be aimed considerably in front of the bird, if it is 

 a fast one, and turning either way, and over its back if going 

 straight away. Where two barrels are allowed, and the bird is 

 not killed dead, the second should be given as soon as possible 

 if the wing is not evidently broken ; for otherwise it may get 

 out of shot, and the second barrel is then useless. So also if 

 the bird is hit and not disabled, and dropping to the ground, 

 walks deliberately away, the second barrel should be let go, 

 or the distance may be too great when it rises. A shot on 

 the ground, when a bird is without doubt hit, is permitted ; 

 and it reckons "dead," although it could probably have 

 escaped the boundary if not shot a second time. 



