SEC. I IMPLEMENTS FOR COLLECTING, AND THEIR USE 13 



skilful shooting from the sportsman's standpoint ; in fact, if I cut 

 down two or three birds on the wing without a miss I am working 

 quite up to my average in that line. But any one not purblind or 

 a " butter-iingers " can become a reasonably fair shot by practice, 

 and do good collecting. It is not so hard, after all, to sight a gun 

 correctly on an immovable object, and collecting differs from sport- 

 ing proper in this, that comparatively few birds are shot on the 

 wing. But I do not mean to imply that it requires less skill to 

 collect successfully than to secure game ; on the contrary, it is finer 

 shooting, I think, to drop a warbler skipping about a tree-top than 

 to stop a quail at full speed ; while hitting a sparrow that springs 

 from the grass at one's feet to flicker in sight a few seconds and 

 disappear is the most difficult of all shooting. Besides, a crack shot, 

 as understood, aims unconsciously, with mechanical accuracy and 

 certitude of hitting ; he simply wills, and the trained muscles obey 

 without his superintendence, just as the fingers form letters with 

 the pen in writing ; whereas the collector must usually supervise 

 his muscles all through the act and see that they mind. In spite 

 of the proportion of snap-shots of all sorts you will have to take, 

 your collecting shots, as a rule, are made with deliberate aim. 

 There is much the same difference, on the whole, between the 

 sportsman's work and the collector's, that there is between shot-gun 

 and rifle practice, collecting being comparable to the latter. It is 

 generally understood that the acme of skill with the two weapons 

 is an incompatibility ; and, certainly, the best shot is not always the 

 best collector, even supposing the two to be on a par in their know- 

 ledge of birds' haunts and habits. Still, a hopelessly poor shot can 

 only attain fair results by extraordinary diligence and perseverance. 

 Certain principles of shooting may perhaps be reduced to words. 

 Aim deliberately directly at an immovable object at fair range. 

 Hold over a motionless object when far off, as the trajectory of the 

 shot curves downward. Hold a little to one side of a stationary 

 object when very near, preferring rather to take the chances of 

 missing it with the peripheral pellets, than of hopelessly mutilating 

 it with the main body of the charge. Fire at the first fair aim, 

 without trying to improve what is good enough already. Never 

 " pull " the trigger, but 'press it. Bear the shock of discharge with- 

 out flinching. In shooting on the wing, fire the instant the heel 

 of the gun taps your shoulder ; you will miss at first, but by and 

 by the birds will begin to drop, and you will have laid the founda- 

 tion of good shooting, the knack of " covering " a bird unconsciously. 

 The habit of "poking" after a bird on the wing is an almost incur- 

 able vice, and may keep you a poor shot all your life. (The col- 

 lector's frequent necessity of poking after little birds in the bush is 

 what so often hinders him from acquiring brilliant execution.) Aim 



