282 THE STILL-HUNTER. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 



THE RIFLE ON MOVING GAME. 



So vast is the difference between hitting even with 

 the shot-gun an object at rest and an object in motion 

 that it was many a year after the introduction of 

 the shot-scattering system before any one attempted 

 much to kill game when in motion. Many men are 

 still living who can plainly remember when wing- 

 shooting was almost an unknown art, practiced only 

 by a few city sportsmen, while the country sportsman 

 always waited for the rabbit or quail to stop. Even 

 now this art is confined to those who can afford to 

 waste plenty of ammunition and have the time and 

 opportunity to practice. Even now it is conceded 

 that even a moderate proficiency is no easy thing for 

 any one to acquire, and for a large number of people 

 is a hard thing to acquire. 



If such be the case with a gun that covers with its 

 missiles a space of thirty inches, how much greater 

 must be the difficulty of doing the same thing with 

 a gun whose missile covers only half an inch or even 

 less! We have already seen the immense difference 

 between the shot-gun and rifle on game at rest. And 

 at least the same degree of difference must exist be- 

 tween shooting with them game in motion. Such has 

 always been believed to be the case, almost all rifle- 

 men conceding the difficulties of using the rifle upon 

 anything in motion; only a very few of them being 



