152 SHOOTING THE PHEASANT 



I shall endeavour to indicate, that it may almost be 

 said that a man can be taught, or learn for himself, 

 even when not naturally a fine shot, to make a very 

 good performance at the average pheasant. There 

 are, to begin with, several points in your favour, not 

 always to be found in other sorts of shooting. You 

 know the direction the birds are coming from, and 

 the probable limit of distance for your shots ; and, 

 what is more important than either, the pace at which 

 they come is not likely to vary much. You stand, or 

 at least it should be so arranged that you do, on firm 

 and even ground, are not struggling with turnips or 

 long heather, are not out of breath or much fatigued, 

 and have plenty of time to arrange all your prelimi- 

 naries. 



Granted these, the most common conditions of 

 standing forward to kill pheasants, I will try to show, 

 without wishing to lay down a law, what, from my 

 own experience and observation, I should say can 

 and ought to be learnt by any able-bodied man who 

 is blessed with good eyesight. 



Let us take the commonest instance first. You 

 are placed to stand at the end of a wood, or of a beat 

 in a wood, either in a broad ride or in the field out- 

 side, with another gun on each side of you, say, twenty- 

 five yards off, very likely less, and the birds are pushed 



