1 62 SHOOTING THE PHEASANT 



the late General (Jim) Macdonald and Lord Hunting- 

 field. The birds were flushed in small quantities at 

 a time, and in the most artistic manner. We killed 

 350 at the stand, and I killed 13 ! I had nothing 

 but single shots, all high, and I think only missed 

 two or three ; but the performance in front of me 

 was exceptional and well worth looking at, and I 

 never enjoyed a rise of pheasants more. 



So far as I have observed, the most difficult over- 

 head pheasant to kill is that which is coming over 

 you in a curve, or, as it is often called, ' with a curl 

 on.' The inward curve is, I think, the hardest to 

 deal with, especially if you are sufficiently near to the 

 place where the bird was flushed for him to be still 

 rising. You will often see this kind of shot offered 

 when there is a strong side wind. The bird which is 

 intended to fly straight towards and over you will 

 rise, as every bird must, with his breast to the wind ; 

 as he faces it struggling to keep his head towards it, 

 but knowing he must rise to clear the trees, he loses 

 more and more control over his flight ; the wind gets 

 underneath him when he has risen a certain distance 

 from the ground; half a turn to one side, and it catches 

 him fairly broadside on. In a second, like a vessel 

 caught in a sudden squall, he is rudderless and un- 

 manageable, and has to drift with the wind ; round 



