The Complete English Wing Shot

by George Teasdale Teasdale-Buckell

I am glad to be able to quote this, because my name is little known to younger shooters, although I write many, preferably unsigned, articles upon rural sports and other matters.

G. T. T.-B.

CONTENTS

	PAGE
Ancient Actions	[1]
Ancient Pistols to Automatic and Elephant Rifles	[4]
Ancient and Middle Age Shooting	[13]
On the Choice of Shot Guns	[23]
Single-Trigger Double Guns	[52]
Ammunition	[56]
The Theory of Shooting	[63]
The Practice of Shooting	[69]
Form in Game Shooting—I	[76]
Form in Game Shooting—II	[82]
Crack Shots—I	[88]
Crack Shots—II	[94]
Pointers and Setters	[101]
The Pointer	[126]
English Setters	[139]
Strenuous Dogs and Sport in America	[151]
The Irish Setter	[160]
The Black-and-Tan Setter	[168]
Retrievers and their Breaking	[176]
The Labrador Retriever	[191]
Spaniels	[195]
Grouse that Lie and Grouse that Fly	[204]
Red Grouse	[214]
Methods of Shooting the Red Grouse	[235]
The Latest Methods of Preservation of Partridges	[246]
Partridge Bags and Driving	[259]
Varieties and Species of the Pheasant	[267]
Pheasants	[274]
Bringing Pheasants to the Guns	[292]
Shooting Wild Ducks Artificially Reared	[302]
Wild Wild-Duck	[308]
Rabbit Shooting	[318]
Hares	[323]
Snipe	[329]
Woodcocks	[335]
Black Game	[341]
Pigeon Shooting	[347]
Deer in Scotland	[354]
Big Game	[358]
A Varied Bag	[361]
Diseases of Game Birds	[370]
Index	[377]

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

H.M. the King as a Boy		[Frontispiece]
	From a photograph lent by Eric Parker, Esq.
Col. Thornton’s Pluto (Black) and Juno, by Gilpin, showing Whole-Coloured Pointers similar in formation to those of Sutton Scarsdale to-day		Facing page	[vi]
	From Daniel’s Rural Sports, 1802.
Warter Priory. Lord Savile shooting		〃	[32]
	From a photograph by Mr. H. Lazenby, York.
With Plenty of Freedom for Good Lateral Swing		〃	[63]
Taking a Step Back with the Left Foot as the Shot is Fired saves the Balance when the Game has passed far Overhead before being shot at		〃	[66]
H.R.H. the Prince of Wales and Lord Farquhar riding to the Butts on the Bolton Abbey Moors, 1906		〃	[69]
	From a photograph by Messrs. Bowden Brothers.
H.R.H. the Prince of Wales waiting for Grouse, showing the much more Forward Position of the Left Hand than when Shooting		〃	[70]
	From a photograph by Messrs. Bowden Brothers.
H.R.H. the Prince of Wales shooting Grouse at Bolton Abbey, showing the very Forward Position of the Left Hand		〃	[72]
	From a photograph by Messrs. Bowden Brothers.
Mr. R. H. Rimington Wilson shooting Grouse, showing the Back Position of the Left Hand		〃	[74]
	From a photograph by Messrs. Bowden Brothers.
Warter Priory. Lord Dalhousie		〃	[80]
	From a photograph by Mr. H. Lazenby, York.
At Warter Priory. Lord Lovat in the Dales		〃	[84]
	From a photograph by Mr. H. Lazenby, York.
Mr. B. J. Warwick’s Compton Pride, a Pointer which twice won the Field Trial Champion Stake		〃	[101]
	From a photograph by the Author.
The Celebrated Field Trial Winning Setter, Captain H. Heywood Lonsdale’s Ightfield Duffer		〃	[101]
	From a photograph by the Author.
Captain H. Heywood Lonsdale’s Ightfield Rob Roy pointing, and backed by Pitchford Ranger		〃	[106]
	From a photograph by Messrs. A. Brown & Co., Lanark.
The Famous Field Trial Winner Shamrock belonging to Mr. Arkwright		〃	[126]
	From a photograph by the Owner.
Solomon’s Seal and Sealing Wax trying to get up Higher and feel the Scent		〃	[126]
	From a photograph by the Owner, Mr. Arkwright.
Three of Mr. Arkwright’s Whole-Coloured Pointers: Leader, Despatch, and Largo		〃	[127]
	From photographs by the Owner.
The Spanish Pointer		〃	[128]
	From a painting by G. Stubbs, engraved in Daniel’s Rural Sports, 1802.
Juno, a Fawn-Coloured Pointer, bred by King George IV. It is suggestive of the Greyhound, and like many modern Whole-Coloured Pointers		〃	[129]
	From an engraving by Richard Parr, after a picture by G. H. Laport, in The Sporting Magazine, 1834.
An Early Nineteenth-Century Picture of the Woodcote Pointers, the Property of Col. C. J. Cotes. His Field Trial Winners Pitchford Druce and Pitchford Duke are descended from his Father’s Woodcote Pointers		〃	[132]
Col. C. J. Cotes’ Champion Field Trial Pitchford Ranger on Lord Home’s Lanark Moors		〃	[133]
	From a photograph by the Author.
Col. C. J. Cotes’ Champion Field Trial Pitchford Ranger on the Ruabon Hill		〃	[133]
	From a photograph by Mr. Allan Brown, Ruabon Hill.
Field Trial Winner Pitchford Beauty on the Ruabon Hill		〃	[134]
	From a photograph by Mr. Allan Brown, Ruabon Hill.
Field Trial Winner Pitchford Bang		〃	[134]
	From a photograph by Miss Gladstone.
Captain Stirling’s Brag of Keir (Field Trial Winner)		〃	[134]
	From a photograph by the Author.
Col. C. J. Cotes’ Field Winner Pitchford Duke on the Ruabon Hills		〃	[135]
	From a photograph by Mr. Allan Brown, Ruabon Hill.
Col. C. J. Cotes’ Field Winner Pitchford Duke on Lord Home’s Moors in Lanark		〃	[135]
	From a photograph by the Author.
The First of September, by F. C. Turner		〃	[139]
	Showing the character of the black-and-tan setter before the bloodhound cross.
The English Setter, by Reinagle		〃	[144]
	From Scott’s Sportsman’s Repository, 1820.
	With the exception of an ill-drawn hind leg and near fore foot this is the correct formation. The model had the shoulders, head, back, and back ribs, rarely seen now except in hard-working dogs.
Mr. Herbert Mitchell’s Lingfield Beryl, Winner of Firsts six times in seven Field Trial Outings in the Spring of 1906		〃	[145]
	From photographs by the Owner.
Capt. H. Heywood Lonsdale’s Field Trial: Ightfield Dot and Ightfield Rob Roy, with Scot their Breaker		〃	[148]
	From a photograph by Messrs. A. Brown, Lanark.
Ightfield Rob Roy and Ightfield Mac, belonging to Captain H. Heywood Lonsdale		〃	[149]
	The former was victor on Lord Home’s Moors near Lanark, in July 1906, over all English-bred pointers and setters. The latter was winner of the Puppy Stakes at the same time.
	From a photograph by the Author.
Mr. John Cotes’ Imported Labrador, Tip, from an Old Picture at Woodcote		〃	[176]
	The dog was whelped in 1832, and presented by Mr. Portman to his owner. From this dog is descended the field trial winner, Col. C. J. Cotes’ Pitchford Marshal, and his Monk, an intermediate generation. This dog is more like the dogs at Netherby 45 years ago than is the present race of Labradors.
	From a photograph lent by the Owner of the picture.
Col. C. J. Cotes’ Pitchford Marshal, several times a Field Trial Winner		〃	[177]
	From a photograph lent by the Owner.
Col. C. J. Cotes’ Monk, an Intermediate Link between the Imported Dog Tip, of 1832, and Marshal, now in full vigour. Monk is said to have been very fast		〃	[177]
	From a picture lent by the Owner.
Mr. A. T. Williams and his celebrated Liver-Coloured Field Trial Retriever Don of Gerwn		〃	[180]
	From a photograph presented by Col. J. C. Cotes.
Mr. A. T. Williams’ Don of Gerwn (Liver-Coloured)		〃	[181]
Mr. Lewis Wigan’s Sweep of Glendaruel (Black)		〃	[181]
The Hon. A. Holland Hibbert’s Kennel of Labrador Retrievers, 1901		〃	[191]
	From a photograph presented by the Owner.
The Hon. A. Holland Hibbert’s Labrador Munden Single		〃	[192]
	From a photograph presented by the Owner.
The Hon. A. Holland Hibbert’s Munden Sovereign		〃	[192]
	From a photograph presented by the Owner.
Col. C. J. Cotes and Pitchford Marshal, with his Breaker Harry Downes		〃	[193]
	From a photograph presented by the Owner.
The Hon. A. Holland Hibbert and Munden Single		〃	[193]
	From a photograph presented by the Owner.
Mr. Eversfield’s Field Trial Winning English Springer Spaniels of a Liver-and-White Breed kept for work alone in the Family of the Bougheys of Aqualate for a Hundred Years.		〃	[198]
Red and White Field Trial Welsh Springer Spaniels belonging to Mr. A. T. Williams		〃	[199]
	From a photograph by Messrs. Bowden Brothers.
Field Trial English Springer Spaniels of the Liver-and-White (Aqualate) Breed belonging to Mr. C. C. Eversfield		〃	[199]
	From a photograph by Messrs. Bowden Brothers.
Pheasants at Warter Priory. Lord Londesborough at High Cliff		〃	[274]
	From a photograph by Mr. H. Lazenby, York.
A Highland Deer Head of unusually Heavy Beam—a Thirteen Pointer		〃	[354]
	From a photograph by Mrs. Smithson.
A Fine Wildly Typical Nine Point Highland Head of 38–Inch Span		〃	[354]
	From a photograph by Mrs. Smithson.
A Typical Highland Red Deer Imperial Head, Thirteen Points		〃	[355]
	From a photograph by Mrs. Smithson.
A Typical New Zealand Royal Head		〃	[355]
	By permission of the Editor of County Gentleman.
Typical Stag of Ten Points, shot in Kashmir by Col. Smithson		〃	[356]
	From a photograph by Col. Smithson.
Stag of Thirteen Points, shot in Kashmir by Mrs. Smithson		〃	[356]
	From a photograph by Mrs. Smithson.

THE COMPLETE SHOT

ANCIENT ACTIONS

By far the greatest inventions in gunnery have been made by chemists. The cleverness and boldness of many wonderful inventions for loading at the breech all aimed at the well-nigh impossible. The powder was always ignited from without, and had to be either partly or quite loose in order to facilitate ignition by means of external fire. That is what beat the inventors of five centuries, who were for ever trying to find a breech-loader, a revolver, or a magazine weapon. In default of these working satisfactorily, they tried weapons with seven barrels, and others with fewer. But it was all to little purpose; the detonator had not been discovered by the Rev. A. J. Forsyth, and the chemist to the French army of Louis XV. had not then invented fulminate of mercury. Consequently a closed-up cartridge containing its own means of ignition was impossible, for although detonating substances were known years before, they were such as did not always wait to be detonated—in other words, they were not stable. They were too dangerous for use, but nevertheless the attempts made at breech-loaders, and especially at magazines, were more than equally dangerous. One weapon had eight touch-holes in eight positions in the barrel, which was eight times charged, one load and charge upon top of the next. That nearest the muzzle was fired first (if the weapon was ever fired at all), and so on, down to that nearest the breech. What prevented the first igniting the rest, and sending all off together with a burst weapon, is not known. If they did not go off all together, one would suppose the firing of several loads in succession would give to those loads in the breech the best ramming ever known. But for this ramming to excess this invention went very near to a more perfect success than any modern magazine weapon. The trouble with all the latter is what to do with the empty cartridge-case. But this old weapon had no cartridge-case. Its ignition was from the outside, and was always ready. It is true that the difference of length of movement of shot within the barrel would make some difference to the velocity of each shot, but not more than would be equalised by a very small extra dose of powder for those charges nearest the muzzle.

Another form of repeater was a breech-loader which carried several charges of powder in the stock, which, in turn, were shaken into a revolving chamber, in front of which, before it was in place for firing, the bullet was inserted for each load, as its turn came round. Other repeaters were simple revolvers, much like the weapon in use now, but of course used without cartridges of self-contained ignition material.