SHOOTING ON THE WING. 63 



seldom deceived as regards distances or positions ; seldom, in fact, 

 at fault in any one particular ; it is to some one of the many other 

 circumstances upon which the proper handling of the fowling-piece 

 is dependent that we must attribute the frequent habit of missing ; 

 such, for example, as a want of self-possession, over-anxiety, care- 

 less loading, hurry, nervousness, or some such causes. Be careful 

 not to shut both eyes just at the instant of pulling the trigger, as 

 some beginners do ; neither throw the muzzle of the gun up or 

 down with a sudden jerk, but let it lie perfectly free in the grasp. 

 By following these few instructions, although you may miss your 

 bird over and over again during the first day's shooting, still, we 

 are confident that you will attain in a very short space of time to 

 some considerable cleverness in the art. When there is a fair and 

 open shot and the bird not killed, you may depend upon it that it 

 was not properly covered; or, if it was, the gun, by some imper- 

 ceptible movement, must have been carried from its proper direc- 

 tion at the instant of firing, or the bird might have perchance 

 varied its straight course at the critical moment of being covered. 

 One of these three things must have taken place provided the gun 

 was loaded properly, otherwise the bird would have inevitably been 

 brought down. We do not pretend to say that every one on going 

 for the first time into the field will acquire in an incredibly short 

 time this beautiful accomplishment of shooting on the wing by the 

 mere committing to memory of any set of rules for the handling 

 of a gun. But, on the other hand, we must assure the novice that 

 without pretty constant practice and great attention he will never 

 attain the art; but when once acquired it is seldom lost, except 

 temporarily, so long as the visual organs are perfect and the 

 physical powers sufficiently strong to carry him into the field in 

 pursuit of game. No doubt thousands of sportsmen arrive at 

 great excellence in shooting without ever reading a line on the 

 subject or receiving a word of advice from the more experienced; 

 but still, their progress has been very slow and up-hill kind of 

 work, and their object accomplished at last only by long practice 

 and observation. We do not, however, wish our readers to under- 



