TAKING AIM. 351 



five are estimated at thirty- five or forty, and so on 

 to the end of the story ! 



When a covey or brood rises, the shooter should 

 fix his eye on one bird, and shoot at that bird only. 

 He should not be diverted from it by other birds 

 rising nearer to him while he is bringing up his 

 gun, unless the bird he first set his eye upon be 

 decidedly out of all reasonable distance, so as to 

 render the chance of killing exceedingly remote. 

 By observing this rule, he is not only more certain 

 of bringing down his game, but he will more fre- 

 quently kill the old birds a desideratum, for two 

 reasons ; first, because he will, in all probability, 

 disperse the covey, which being done, any sports- 

 man may generally, without difficulty, bag a few 

 brace ; and secondly, because the old birds make a 

 better show in the game-bag. 



We think that all shooters, except the veriest 

 bunglers, use a gun properly as regards throwing 

 the end of it upon the object aimed at, and drawing 

 the trigger, and that any inaccuracy of aim must 

 be attributed to the eye not being in the proper 

 place when the aim is taken. 



The habit of missing arises not from inability to 

 throw the end of the gun upon the bird, but from 

 the eye not being directly behind the breech, which 

 it necessarily must be for good shooting. 



If there were a sight at each end of the barrel, 

 it would be requisite, when taking aim, to keep 

 shifting the gun until both sights were in a line 

 between the eye and the mark ; that, however, with 

 a gun not well mounted to the eye and shoulder, 



