should have precisely on the intended point, when he fires. He will thus, by degrees, attain the art of killing his game in good style, which is to fix his eyes on the object, and fire the moment he has brought up the gun. He may then ultimately acquire the knack of killing snap shots, and bring down a November bird the moment it tops the stubble, or a rabbit popping into a furzebrake, with more certainty than he was once used to shoot a young grouse in August, or a partridge in September. Many begin with very quick shooting, and kill admirably well, but are often apt not to let their birds fly before they put up their gun; and therefore dreadfully mangle them, and, I have already observed, are not such every-day shots as those who attain their rapid execution on a slow and good principle. * * * As shots in the field, at game, Mr. Jenkins, near Petworth, Sussex, and Cottingham, who was formerly gamekeeper to Lord Roos, are perhaps the best. The former has killed twenty brace of partridges in a day, at forty shots, without selecting the shots, but took them fairly as they happened; and in four days' shooting, has never missed. The latter I was out with when he killed, in two days, forty-three successive shots (many of them in covert) at partridge, pheasant, woodcock, and hare; and his style of shooting, when open, and he could give time, was most regularly deliberate. Should different guns be employed, the shooter should have all the locks made, if possible, to require exactly the same pull to bring them to action; there is nothing deceives or disconcerts him more than shooting one day with a stiff, and the next with an easy going lock; the transition from that which goes off with a slight, to that where a hard touch is necessary, will often cause the most expert to miss his bird. * * If a rival shooter (some stranger) races to get before you, push him hard for a long time, always letting him have rather the advantage, and then give him the double without his seeing you. Having done this, go quietiy round (supposing you have been beating up wind); and, on reaching the place where you began, work closely and steadily the whole of the ground or covert that you have both been racing over, and you will be sure to kill more game than him, who is beating and shooting in haste, through fear of your getting up to him; and (if the wind should rise) driving the dispersed, and consequently closest lying birds to your beat, as fast as he finds them. * * * Beware of the muzzle of the gun being kept hanging downwards; when so carried, the shot is apt to force its way from the powder, especially in clean barrels; if it happens that a space of sixteen or eighteen inches is thus obtained, and the gun fired with its point below the horizon, it is ten to one but the barrel bursts. There are other perilous consequences besides those that generally accompany the disruption of a barrel, for the men, horses, and dogs, are in perpetual danger of being shot when a gun is carried in the before-mentioned pendent manner. When a gun begins to exhibit symptoms of having done its work, the sooner a man di.cards it the better. An injured barrel or enfeebled lock may prove fatal to the owner or his associates. Accidents every day occur, and very lamentable consequences proceed, from a culpable neglect in retaining arms which should be declared unserviceable and disused. 1 had once a favourite gun, which from constant wear and tear exhibited unequivocal weakness in the locks, and which I had beea earnestly recommended by a veteran sportsman to condemn. On a cold and rainy day, I was with my friend O'M— shooting woodcocks in the heath, and having sprung several, which from the severity of the weather were wild as hawks, we marked them into a ravine, and determined to tie up the dogs and endeavour to steel upon them. To keep my gun dry I placed it under the skirt of my jacket, with the muz. zle pointing downwards. My companion and our attendant were busy coupling the dogs, when the gun exploded, and the charge passed between O'M--'s bosom and the back of a dog he was in the act of securing, buried itself at the foot of the keeper, covering him with mud and gravel. From the close manner in which we were all grouped, how the shot could have entered the ground without killing men or dogs, or both, was miraculous. I was desperately frightened, and from that moment forswore for ever, the use of weakened locks and attenuated barrels. In March, 1799, Sir John Swinborne, having flashed off his gun, which was single barrelled with a patent antechambered breech, proceeded to the dog-kennel; in his opinion, at least five minutes must have elapsed before he began to load; having primed, he poured the charge from the top of the flask into the barrel, when the whole copper flask, containing nearly a pound of gunpowder, instantly exploded. A large piece of copper struck the right eye, and injured the bone above, so that it continued to exfoliate for two years. The lock remained at half bent, and it cannot be doubted that some tow, which had been left in the barrel or chamber, continued on fire from the time of flashing off, and occasioned the misfortune. In every instance but one, where the particulars have been ascertained, of the numerous accidents of the above description, the explosion has happened upon the second time of pouring powder into the barrel on that day; which is strong evidence of the cause here suggested. The following sporting precepts may be serviceable to inexperienced shooters : First-If you or your dog should, at any time, get a severe blow, let the wounded part be instantly fomented with water, as hot as can be borne, for at least half an hour, and you will thereby reduce your suffering, or impediment from sport, to at least half its duration. left for you over night, a crust of bread, or a biscuit, with a glass of milk, which, with a little sugar, nutmeg, ginger, and the yolk of an egg, may be good in a moment, and this is better than what is called a "doctor," (rum and milk), because you then dispense with taking spirit in a morning, the very bad habit of which, should always be a avoided, except in a country where the chances of Secondly-If you burn yourself in shoot-ague might justify your taking a little purl. ing, or otherwise, wrap the part affected immediately in cotton, the application of which, it has been proved, acts like magic on a burn. Thirdly-If you should take cold, bathe your feet in hot water; if a little salt or bran 8, or both are, added, so much the better. Get into a bed warmed, with a little brown sugar sprinkled on the coals, and take some whey, or whatever you can get to promote perspiration. Fourthly-Never fast too long, and avoid, whenever you can, fagging too hard. Sixthly-Never sit down with wet feet, or with wet clothes on any part of your body, but, if a change is not at hand, keep in motion, or go to bed, till one can be procured. Or, if you want to start again, when refreshed, first wet your feet with spirits or essence of mustard, and then be as quick as possible in taking your refreshment. Many people prefer applying the spirit to the inside, instead. This is not so well, because spirit alone always flies to the head, while strong beer, on the contrary. would warm the body. I shall here conclude, under this head, Fifthly-Never go out with quite an empty with the multum in parvo advice of the great stomach, to wait for wild fowl, particularly Dr. Boerhaave; keep the body open, the in the morning. Should you wish to start head cool, and the feet warm.—Hawker— before any one is up, you might always have Daniel-Wild Sports. SHOOTER, S. One who shoots; an archer, a gunner. SHORTWINGED, a. Having short wings. So hawks are divided into long and short winged. SHOT, 8. The act of shooting; the flight of a shot; the charge of a gun; bullets or small pellets for the charge of a gun; any thing discharged from a gun, or other instrument; a sum charged, a reckoning. Shot.-The choice of this article is highly worthy of the sportsman's care. It should be equal, round, and void of cavities. The patent milled shot is, at this time, to be preferred to all other sorts, and is in such general use, that the instructions which here follow on the size of shot to be adopted in the different chases, must be understood to relate to the patent shot only. The difference, however, which subsists between the sizes of patent and of common shot, will be hereafter shown by means of a table, denoting the number of pellets contained in a given weight of each, so that in cases were the former cannot be procured, it will be easy to adopt the rules there laid down, to the latter, by only taking the same number of grains in the common, as directed to be used for the patent shot. Hares also, at this season of the year, sit closer, and being at the same time thinly covered with fur, may easily be killed with this sized shot at thirty or thirty-five paces. In snipe, and quail-shooting this sized shot is peculiarly proper, for, in using a larger size, however true the sportsman may shoot, yet he will frequently miss, the objects being so small that they have great chance of escaping in the vacant spaces of the circle or disk. Yet there are many sportsmen who shoot snipes, quails, and fieldfares, in coun tries where they abound, with the sizes six and seven of the common shot, the last of which is called mustard-seed. About the beginning of October, at which time the partridges are stronger in the wing, No. 3 is the proper shot to be used. This size seems to be the best of any; it preserves It is extremely important for the success a proper medium between shot too large and of the chase, that the sportsman should pro- that which is too small, and will kill a hare portion the size of his shot, as well to the from the distance of thirty-five or forty particular species of game he means to pur-paces, and a partridge at fifty, provided the sue, as the season of killing it. Thus in the first month of partridge-shooting, shot No. 1, should be used; for since, at this time, the birds spring near at hand, and we seldom fire at more than the distance of forty yards, if the shooter takes his aim but tolerably well, it is almost impossible for a bird at this distance to escape in the circle or disk which the shot forms. powder be good. It will serve also for rabbit-shooting. In short, it is excellent for all seasons, and many sportsmen use no other the season round. It is true that distant objects are frequently missed for want of large shot, but then these bear no proportion to the number that are daily missed, by using shot of too large a size, es ecially with the feathered game. If a man was to shoot constantly with shot number five, for one partridge which he might chance to kill with a single pellet at the distance of eighty paces, he would miss twenty birds at eighty paces, which would in such case escape in the vacant spaces of the circle. But if the sportsman expressly purposes to shoot wild ducks or hares, then indeed he had better use the number five. However, in shooting with a double barrel gun, it may be prudent to load one of the barrels with large shot for the necessary occasions, and if in any case large shot is required, number five will be found to be better than any other, for its size is not so large as to prevent it from garnishing or being equally spread in the circle, and it can at the same time perform, in effect, all that a larger sized shot can do, which garnishes but very little, if any at all.'" In order, therefore, to show clearly, and at one view, the comparative difference in garnishing of shot of different sizes, we here subjoin a table which indicates the number of pellets precisely composing an weight of each sort of shot, the patent and the common, commencing at the smallest size in each. ounce Pellets. 350 260 245 190 140 110 95 Shot compared according to Hawker : LG MG MOULD SHOT. No. of pellets to 1 oz. 5 hardly 9 1 15 17 PATENT SHOT. The pleasure of using and counting the dust shot I leave to those who recommend it. The shot of different manufacturers varies much in size: for example, an ounce of No. 7, from Messrs. Walker and Parker, amounts to 341 pellets: and the same weight, from Mr. Beaumont (late Preston), 395; and in some places the numbers are reversed. Many sportsmen recommend the use of unglazed shot; others wet their shot with oil. I have tried both these plans repeatedly, but could not find sufficient advantage in either to justify my recommending them. The object of both is to prevent the gun from leading; and as they can do no harm, I should if a choice readily offered, prefer using the shot unglazed, or oiled, for the chances of any trifling advantages which may be thereby derived. * If I mistake not, you are shooting grouse with No. 4. Agilis. I was told that so large a bird required large shot. Peritus. No doubt there is greater difficulty in reaching a vital part through a large opposing substance than a small one; but you must remember that at this season the whole plumage of birds has not yet grown, the muscles and sinews are not so strong and firm as they will be; and the flight of all birds is slower than in winter; on such account I would use much smaller shot now than later in the season; and indeed you will find sevens now as efficient as fours will be in two months' time. You must remember that to bring down a bird you must either strike it in a vital part, or impede its flight, and the fewer the shots that strike, the less likely you are to attain that object. 1 once fired a small bullet through a black cock, and he flew so far that he was only found by accident afterwards. But I will repeat to you my ideas as to the sizes of shot best calculated both for England and Scotland, as we are upon the subject: Partridge, hare.-From September 1 to October 1, No. 7. Partridge, hare, woodcock, rabbit, pheasant-From October 1 to the end of the season, No. 6. Ducks.-No. 5 or 4. Roe deer.-B B at all times. Grouse. From August 12 to September No. of pellets to 1 oz. 1, No. 7; from September 1 to September 25, No. 6; from September 25 to the end of the season, No. 5. closeness or wideness with which the shot is thrown, provided the charge be the same in both pieces. We have subjected this matter to the test of experiment, and the result has accordingly been that a barrel of 22 or 24, which is the largest calibre usually employed in fowling-pieces, threw its shot as closely as one of the smallest calibre, viz. of 30 or 32. There is a curious circumstance attending the shot of barrels, which is, that sometimes the grains of lead, instead of being equally distributed over the space they strike, are thrown in clusters of ten, twelve, fifteen, or more, whilst several considerable spaces have not a single grain in them; sometimes a cluster of this kind consists of one-third or one-half of the charge, and it also happens sometimes, though more rarely, that the whole charge collects itself into one mass, so as to pierce a board near an inch thick, at the distance of forty or forty-five paces. Small barrels are said to be more liable to this than large ones, and M. de Morelles says that this is especially the case when barrels are new, and when they are fresh washed. He mentions a double-barrelled piece of 52 calibre, which was particularly liable to this clustering and lumping of the shot, but adds that the same thing did not happen to him with other barrels of 26 and 28 calibre, which he had used before. The lumping also may perhaps depend upon the wadding employed. closeness with which some pieces are said to throw the shot, we certainly shall not take it upon us to assert that persons who speak of them wish to deceive us; but we do most firmly believe that they deceive themselves, and that their accounts proceed either from their belief that a gunsmith, by superior skill and care, is able to make such, or from their once having seen a piece accidentally lump its shot in the manner described above. The result of our experience, however, is very unfavourable to this prevailing opinion, for we do affirm that after having fired at a mark times without number, we have never yet found a barrel, which, at the distance of fifty paces, would throw its whole charge with regularity, we will not say into the breadth of a hat, but into a space of three feet square. * Patent Shot.-It is a fact stated to have been determined by repeated observation, that a bird killed with patent shot will turn green twenty-four hours sooner than one killed at the same time with the common shot; and this accelerated putrefaction is said to arise from the quantity of copperas used in preparing the lead for this particular manufacture.-Essay on Shooting-Hawker Hints to Grown Sportsmen. Shot Belt.-Always have the tops of your shot belts made to fit nicely into the muzzle of your gun; by which means, in the process of drawing your charge, you can empty your shot into them without losing a grain-Hawker. With regard, then, to the extraordinary SHOTTEN, a. Having ejected the spawn. SHOUGH, 8. A kind of shaggy dog, a shock. SHOULDER, 8. The joint which connects the arm to the body; the upper joint of the foreleg of a beast; the upper part of the back; the shoulders are used as emblems of strength. SHOULDER BELT, 8. A belt that comes across the shoulder. SHOULDERSHOTTEN, a. Strained in the shoulder. SHOULDERSLIP, S. Dislocation of the shoulder. SHOVELBOARD, 8. A long board on which they play by sliding metal pieces at a mark. SHOVELLER, S. A bird of the duck tribe. Blue Wing Shoveller, Kertlucock, or Broad Bill (Anas Clypeata, LINN; Le Souchet, BUFF.) The shoveller is less than the wild duck, commonly weighing about twenty-two ounces, and measuring twenty-one inches in length. The bill is black, three inches long, very broad or spread out, and rounded like a spoon at the end, with the nail booked inward, and small. The female is smaller than the male, from which she also differs greatly in the colours of her plumage, the coverts and spangle-spot on her wings being less brilliant, and the other parts composed of white, grey, and rusty, crossed with curved dusky lines, giving her much the appearance of the common wild duck. She makes her nest, lined with wi thered grasses, on the ground, in the midst of the largest tufts of rushes or coarse herbage, in the most inaccessible parts of the shaky marsh. She lays ten or twelve pale, rustycoloured eggs; and as soon as the young are hatched, they are conducted to the water by the parent birds, who watch and guard them with the greatest care. They are at first very shapeless and ugly, for the bill is then almost as broad as the body, and seems too great a weight for the little bird to carry. Their plumage does not acquire its full colours until after the second moult. It has not yet been ascertained whether the shoveller breeds in England, where, indeed, it is a scarce bird. This species is of so wild, shy, and solitary HH a disposition, that all attempts hitherto made | dered merely as a variety of the same species. to domesticate them have failed. Red-breasted Shoveller.-Size of a common duck. This species is sometimes taken in the decoys of Lincolnshire.-Bewick. The anas mascaria of Linnæus (Le Souchet à ventre blanc of Brisson) differs only from this in having the belly white, and is consiSHREWMOUSE, 8. A mouse of which the bite was anciently supposed ve nomous. SHRILL, a. Sounding with a piercing, tremulous, or vibratory sound. SHRIMP, 8. A small crustaceous vermiculated fish; a little wrinkled man, a dwarf. SHRUB, 8. A small tree; spirit, acid, and sugar, mixed. SHUTTLECOCK, 8. A cork stuck with feathers, and beaten backward and forward. SHY, a. Cautious; keeping at a distance, unwilling to approach. SIDESADDLE, 8. A woman's seat on horseback. SIEVE, 8. Hair or lawn strained upon a hoop, by which flour is separated from bran; an implement to winnow corn. SIFT, v. To separate by a sieve; to separate, to part, SIGHT, 8. Perception by the eye, the sense of seeing; act of seeing or beholding; eye, instrument of seeing; aperture pervious to the eye, or other points fixed to guide the eye, as the sight of a gun, quadrant, &c. SILICIOUS, a. Made of hair. SILKEN, a. Made of silk; soft, dressed in silk. SILVER, 8. A white and hard metal, next in weight to gold. It is harder, but not so malleable: it ignites before it melts, and requires intense heat to fuse it. SILVER, a. Made of silver; white like silver; having a pale lustre; saft of voice. SINEW, S. A tendon, the ligament by which the joints are moved. |