60. lewis' AMERICAN SPORTSMAN. 



and finger actually obeying the promptings of the eye without 

 there being any actual collusion or rather connection of action 

 between the two organs. Some Sportsmen, however, recom- 

 mend the novice to begin shooting with both eyes upon their 

 game, insisting that this practice is the preferable. Although 

 we differ with these gentlemen upon this subject, we do not 

 wish our opinions to be considered paramount, or more worthy 

 of credence than theirs, but, on the contrary, are willing to 

 believe all they say upon this head, notwithstanding our own 

 personal experience teaches us quite the contrary. For "snap 

 shooting," this plan certainly answers a very good purpose; 

 but a "snap shot" is generally a very disagreeable companion 

 to shoot with, and we would not advise any of our friends to 

 be ambitious in this particular. The Birds are most usually, 

 under the hands of a snap shot, horribly mangled, and fre- 

 quently fired upon before his companion has time to put up his 

 piece, which, to say the least of it, if often repeated, is ill bred 

 on the part of the Shooter and mortifying to his companion. 



Although we do not admire a "snap shot," we trust that our 

 readers will not understand us as recommending a "poking 

 shot" to their attention; for we most heartily detest a "poking 

 shot," who brings up his gun ever and anon, and dwells upon 

 his Bird, following it in its course for several yards before 

 drawing the trigger, or perhaps takes his gun down without 

 firing at all, complacently remarking "that he could not cover 

 it to his satisfaction." Such a poker usually prides himself 

 upon his excellent shooting; that is, notes down with unexam- 

 pled minuteness the exact number of shots he has made in the 

 course of the day without missing a Bird. Such kind of shoot- 

 ing we entirely eschew, and consider it beneath the dignity of 

 a true Sportsman; as for ourselves, we would rather miss three 

 shots out of five, all day long, than go pottering about in this 

 style, picking our shots. If the art of shooting is to be reduced 

 to such a systematic piece of business, that we are never to 

 shoot except when we are sure of killing our Bird, we for one 

 would be glad enough to abandon the field altogether, as one- 

 half, if not all the pleasurable excitement consequent upon the 

 pursuit of game consists in the uncertainty, the doubts, the 

 disappointments, and hopes that we encounter. If on the one 



