SHOOTING ON THE WING. 49 



equanimity of temper, and thereby destroyed that coohiess and 

 deliberation which are so essential for the proper handling of 

 the fowling-piece. Success in shooting, all the paraphernalia 

 being equally good, is dependent in a great measure upon 

 coolness and deliberation ; the first and most important step, 

 therefore, to be taken by a young Shooter, is the resolution to 

 acquire as soon as possible a perfect control over all his move- 

 ments during the excitement consequent upon the springing of 

 a covey of Partridges, the whir of a Woodcock, or the sudden 

 and irregular flight of a Snipe. This mastery over his feelings 

 being once acquired, there will be no difficulty in the way of a 

 rapid progress in the art of shooting flying. Having selected, 

 with the assistance of a Sporting friend, a gun, made by the 

 most approved Gunsmith, practise the handling of it in your 

 own room; be sure that it comes up to the shoulder right, and 

 that the eye runs along the barrel with facility. Bring it up 

 to your shoulder ever and anon ; take sight along its barrel at 

 some small object placed in the furthest corner of the room — a 

 red wafer, or a piece of colored paper stuck on the wall, will 

 answer for this purpose. By practising in this wa}'- for a short 

 time, a certain degree of ease in the handling of the gun will 

 be acquired, and then it will be as well to crack off" a few caps 

 by way of accustoming the ear and eye to the explosion, as 

 also familiarizing the finger with the touch of the trio-o-er. 

 Having occupied the leisure moments of a few days in this 

 kind of Sport, it will be high time to sally forth to the fields 

 to spend a portion of the day in practising shooting on the 

 wing any of the small Birds that we may encounter in our 

 peregrinations over the country. 



The habit of our young Sportsmen exercising their skill 

 upon Swallows is not a good practice, and cannot be attended 

 with any particular benefit to them, as their flight is so entirely 

 different from any known game Bird that one might soon be- 

 come expert in killing these harmless but useful little creatures 

 without ever being able to bag a Partridge, a Woodcock, or a 

 Snipe. 



Swallows fly with considerable swiftness and great irregu- 

 larity, and cannot be easily killed except when they stop or 

 rather poise themselves for an instant in the air to seize their 

 4 



