HOW TO KILL THEM 165 



entirely to lift your gun inwards and a long way in 

 front of the bird before he has got directly over your 

 head; if you can carry this out and shoot a little 

 sooner than usual, you may manage him, but if when 

 he is on this curve and at this pace you once let him 

 get right over you, it is goodbye to him ; you are 

 sure to shoot outside the curve of his flight, and 

 most probably behind him as well, while the velocity 

 of his flight will not admit of your turning round 

 rapidly or steadily enough, after such a definite effort, 

 to kill him after he has passed. 



The bird whose curve is outward from you is. on 

 the other hand, a less difficult and quite killable shot. 

 Should he be, as is probable, still rising, you have 

 only to remember — always the same caution — not to 

 be under him, and as he must present a purely broad- 

 side mark at some point of the curve, take him as 

 nearly as possible at that point, and you will compass 

 him without difficulty. 



Anyone familiar with varieties of shooting must 

 have heard the point discussed as to why the pheasant 

 which has long passed his 'zenith,' and is skimming 

 or sailing broadside on to you, and getting pretty 

 near the ground, is so often missed. Certainly it 

 happens so, and to the best of marksmen, at any rate 

 at distances beyond thirty )-ards. But I think the 



