54 lewis' AMERICAN SPORTSMAN. 



at the same time adhering strictly to the golden rule of coolness 

 and cMihenttion ; and his efforts on this occasion will perhaps 

 be crowned with greater success. The bagging, then, of this 

 one Bird will at once atone for many others lost, and at the 

 same time will impress upon him the importance of sticking to 

 the principles upon which he entered the field, and make him 

 a firm convert to the absolute utility of giving heed to our 

 instructions ; for he will find that as often as he departs from 

 these rules and fires his gun at random, just so often will he be 

 disappointed in the results, and will also learn that the chances 

 of killing Birds at random shots are very few, even when fired 

 into a large covey — for how frequently have we seen even the 

 most experienced Sportsmen shoot into coveys without ruffling 

 a feather, owing entirely to the circumstance of the Birds all 

 rising, as it were, in a mass together, and confusing him by their 

 proximity and numbers — or, in other words, throwing him off 

 his guard, and depriving him momentarily of that coolness and 

 deliberation of which we are speaking. It is very difficult, at 

 times, even for an old Sportsman to suppress a feeling of anx- 

 iety, a kind of nervous trepidation that involuntarily creeps 

 over him when advancing upon a covey, that he feels certain is 

 spread out around him, but at the same time entirely ignorant 

 of the exact spot from whence the Birds will spring. Under 

 these circumstances, the heart of an old Shooter is apt to palpi- 

 tate with a slight but agreeable emotion, while the warm blood 

 of the Tyro rushes through his system with a velocity that 

 often makes his whole frame quiver with excitement. If, then, 

 he misses his Bird, it is not to be wondered at, as the confusion 

 and noise consequent upon the flushing of a covey of frightened 

 Birds is no small affair; but, on the contrary, is well calculated 

 to upset his already shaken nerves, and throw him entirely off 

 his guard ; insomuch that he mechanically raises his gun and 

 bangs away, liarum-scariim^ without the least aim, and then is 

 mortified as well as astonished that he did not kill half a dozen 

 Birds from among so many immediately under his nose. 



It is to steel the heart of the novice against this emotion that 

 we wish to impress upon him, in the most forcible manner, the 

 importance oi coolness and deliberation in all his actions; for rest 



