THE ART OF SHOOTING ON THE WING. 259 



enough. When longer shots are in order for the 

 improving shooter, No. 8 may be used ; and as he 

 will now have acquired confidence in himself and 

 his gun, more powder may be employed. After 

 a while he will learn the quantity of powder 

 with which his gun shoots best with ease and 

 comfort to himself in delivering fire. 



At first the young shooter at birds on the wing 

 may expect misses, perhaps a good many of them, 

 but he need not be disheartened. When he 

 misses, let him consider and hit upon the pro- 

 bable cause of the miss. It may be that he shot 

 too high or too low, or behind the bird— which 

 is very likely if it was a cross-shot — or he may 

 have shot in a hurried, flustered way without 

 taking aim. To whatever cause he thinks the 

 miss may have been owing, let him resolve to 

 guard against it another time. I wish to impress 

 upon the young shooter that missing within easy 

 distance is not a matter of chance. Under such 

 circumstances there is always a cause why the 

 miss was not a hit, and it is desirable that he 

 who has made it should find out the cause and 

 be prepared to prevent it. If he ,does this, he 

 will steadily improve in his shooting, and may 

 probably become in time a " crack shot," which 



