14 PRAIRIE AND FOREST. 
and more rapidly bring the head to the stock; to discard a 
waistcoat, for the thickness of clothing militated against 
bringing up his gun. However, he was always wounding 
birds—at least he said so; for constantly, if near, he would 
call out, “Don’t you see the feathers fly ?” which, perhaps 
owing to my less keen vision, I never did, save it were the 
feathers flying off with the bird. Another peculiarity this 
gentleman possessed was, that although he might have dis- 
charged the entire contents of his shot-pouch without bag- 
ging a single head when separated from me, as soon as we 
both shot over the same point, one or other of the birds 
knocked down was due to his skill; doubtless companion- 
ship re-assured him, or induced him to take more pains. I 
would advise such, therefore, always to shoot in company, 
only I would rather be excused becoming the company. 
Of course occasionally he would knock over a bird, but 
when this took place it either was lost or took no end of 
trouble to secure. I remember one instance in a marsh 
where we were snipe-shooting, a number of mallards flush- 
ed within easy range: following the report of his gun, one 
of the greenheads left its companions, sailed round several 
times, each circle becoming lower and less contracted, till 
it dropped. Half-an hour was fruitlessly wasted looking for 
it; my-friend would not give up the search, so I went for- 
ward alone; some time afterward he joined me, but his per- 
severance had not been rewarded. All that day he lament- 
ed over this lost bird, for, like many of our fishing friends, 
he doubtlessly thought it (because it was not bagged) far 
larger and far finer than any obtained. The reason for the 
so frequent loss of the few birds he hit was this: the vic- 
tims seldom received more than a stray grain outside the 
disk described by the shot, and therefore were not serious- 
ly wounded. That there are many like my friend I know, 
and I fear it will be a hopeless task to endeavor to make 
