The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-07-26

Some of IObcrI's PeruliaritieS-BoW 10
O]utgenerhI the Fine Fellow.

O]utgenerhl the Fine Fellow.
The opening illustrated paper in the Au-
gust Century is u s%portsman's paper on
"Bob White, the Game Bird Of America"
by Professor Alfred NJ. Mayer, OF the Ste
yens Institute OF Technology. OF the diff.
Guilty Of bagging Bob White he says: "ro
become a successful shot ut Bob White, the
sportsman should bear in mind that Bob,
Immediately alter he hes sprung, flies with
a yelocitywhich probably exceeds that Of
any other bird; and also that, unless fairly
hit, he can carry Off a large number OF pei
lets. When u covey springs, it rises at q
considerable angle with thoground. Hence.
in shooting at a bird in a flushed Covey,
the sportsman OF unsteady nerve and slug.
glish muscles is apt TO understood, the bird
rising with such velocity that by the time
the gunner has brought his gun into posi-
ton the bird has passed above his line Of
sight. As a rule, | think that about INT
second generally elapses between the in
slant Of springingot the bird and the mo-
meut of fire. This interval gives the bird
time to gain q moderately horizontal line
OF flight, and allows the sportsman to get O
fair aim.
"ln shooting at'an incoming bird, let
him be out OF sight and just below the rib
OF your gun at the moment oil firing. At u
bird going overhead, wait till he has passed
we'll over; then shoot under him. At
s.raightaway shots hold n little high, so
that you just catch a glimpse OF The bird
over your barrels.
Gl"In shooting at cross shots, it should be
understood t. ut the velocity OF an ounce OF
No. S shot driven with three drains OF
powder il near to 900 feet per second. III
that second q Bob White, il under full
headway, will go IS feet, il we estimate the
velocity OF his flight as low as mile a
minute. II he is flying directly across your
line Of sight and thirty yards oil, the shot
will take nnl.tenth Of a second to reach
that distance, and in one tenth OF a second
the bird has gone over eight and eight
tenths feet. So, II We should fire q snap
shot directly Ut a erosS.fyi ing bird thirty
yards distant, the centre OF the cloud OF
shot would fall about nine feet behind
him, and he would pass by unscratch-
ed. To kill him Clean you must
hold nine feet ahead OF him. To some
HpOTtblHeu1 uILo Icct LuhS 6cSlu SIehL Nie
lance to hold ahead on u Cross-tlYiDg bird
thirty yards away, but not to those who
have noticed attentively the relations OF
the line oftheir aim to the position OF the
bird at the very moment they hear the re-
port Of their gun. Also, estimations Of
distances in the air beside.a small and
quickly moving object arc very unreliable,
and often WHEN then the sportsman thinks
he has fred only one foot ahead ola bird
he has really held ahead three feet, Let
some one suspend horizontally in the air
an unfamiliar object that must be distant
from fence rails and other things whose d.
mensions you know, and then guess its
length. You will after a few trials, be tat
Iisfsd that the estimation OF actual lengths
at thirty yards is very loose guess-work.
"a beginner who, out Of three shots, can
bring one Bob White to bag, need not be
discouraged or ashamed; with sufficient
practice, he may one day kill one out OF
two birds fired at. The sportsman who
does not select his shots land no man real.
ly a sportsman can do that, but takes his
chances in tho open and in covert on sill
birds which offer u probability Of success
to his skill, and who, the seasOn through,
brings 10 his bag three out OF five birds
fired at, ia an accomplished sportsman. II
he can make three successful shots out Of
iour, he is phenomenal marksman."