508 The Hunting Grounds 



aligning his rifle on the bull's-eye at all distances. 

 Up to 300 yards, the bull's-eye is eight inches in dia- 

 meter, and above that distance two feet. 



POSITION DRILL is absolutely necessary to ensure 

 good practice at long ranges. It habituates the 

 novice to correct positions, and enables him to fire 

 steadily in all situations. It gives him a perfect 

 command over his weapon, and enables the eye and 

 hand to act together, so that the left hand raises the 

 rifle at once to bear upon the object, for the eye to 

 take aim ; and at the same moment the fore-finger of 

 the right hand acts upon the trigger. 



To establish the natural connexion between the eye 

 and the hand, constant practice is required ; and the 

 novice should be accustomed to handle his rifle both 

 with and without the bayonet, being put through all 

 the motions of firing standing and kneeling^ with the 

 same precision as if actually practising with ball- 

 cartridge. 



At the School of Musketry at Hythe, recruits are 

 taught to fire standing at all distances up to 300 

 yards, and kneeling at every longer range. The best 

 position for taking a steady aim without artificial ap- 

 pliances is by kneeling on the right knee and sitting 

 on the right heel, the rifle being firmly grasped and 

 steadied by the left hand, the left elbow resting on 

 the left knee so as to form a support. 



Should the novice meet with any difficulty in aim- 



