286 THE STILL-HUNTER. 



The almost universal opinion of Carver's shooting 

 was that it settled the long insoluble problem of 

 shooting on the wing with the rifle. The majority 

 thought that the ability to do this was restricted to 

 Carver himself. Others thought that it could be ac- 

 quired by imitating his methods, especially that of 

 keeping both eyes open while aiming. 



A few now think that the whole thing was a delu- 

 sion; that the performance is a very easy one, and 

 instead of being marvelous was simply novel; that, the 

 novelty being now worn off, the shooting amounts to 

 nothing for any practical purpose. But the opinion 

 of the great majority is the other way. Thousands> 

 even, of men who use the rifle still believe and long 

 will believe that Carver solved the question and discov- 

 ered or invented the art of wing-shooting with the rifle. 

 Already we have the "champion wing-shot with the 

 rifle" by dozens. Already "wing-shooting with the 

 rifle" is talked of as a thing of course. And it may 

 be safely said that the world in general now believes 

 and long will believe that the ability to break glass 

 balls in air and blow nickels skyward with the rifle as 

 Carver did carries with it of course the ability to 

 shoot game on the wing with the rifle. And if such 

 small things may be hit, the tripping of the heels of 

 such a large object as a deer or antelope follows as a 

 mere matter of course. 



It will therefore be worth while to analyze this 

 shooting and see just what can and what cannot be 

 done by it. We shall then be in a position to under- 

 stand the question of shooting running deer. 



At the outset one very significant fact stares us in 

 the face, a fact that no one yet seems to have taken 

 the slightest notice of. That fact is this: Dr. Carver 



