SHOOTING 117 



the shooting was very pretty, and by no means easy. 

 The rough ground was always well covered with long 

 grass and fern, so that by the time the guns were 

 posted and at work the rabbits were seated all over 

 their allotted area. 



'In the first inclosure 808 rabbits were shot in 

 twenty-three minutes on the " threes " day. The year 

 previous, 2,103 were killed over the whole beat in one 

 day.' 1 



Not unconnected with ' big bags ' is the subject of 

 ' odd shots,' for it is only natural on occasions when 

 more than the ordinary amount of shooting takes place 

 that some of the shots should be unusual ones. Two 

 rabbits at a shot would not be a remarkable perform- 

 ance in a warren, or on ground where rabbits have 

 been previously stopped out ; but two rabbits with 

 each barrel, or four at a double shot, is a feat which 

 is hardly likely to be performed often. Yet such an 

 achievement is described in The Field of July 14, 

 1894. 



In October, 1888, a sportsman in the neighbour- 

 hood of Ripon, walking over a rough grass field, kicked 

 up and shot a rabbit at twenty-five yards distance. 

 To his surprise he found that he had killed a hare by 

 the same shot, her ' form ' being directly in the line of 



' The Field, April 19, 1884. 



