Under these circumstances a man must either pick his shots or occasionally miss, though his gun be every time held straight. I venture to say there is no sportsman living who has not been known to miss the fairest shots, and there are very few but now and then in a season will shoot badly for a whole day. It stands to reason when the most skilful may become for a time unnerved for shooting by ill health, oppression of mind, one night’s debauch, or anything that will operate on the temper or nerves.—The Horse—Sir Humphry Davy—Hawker.
Nest, s. The bed formed by the bird for incubation; any place where insects are produced; an abode; boxes of drawers, little conveniences.
Nest, v. To build nests. Vide Nidification.
Nestegg, s. An egg left in the nest to keep the hen from forsaking it.
Nestle, v. To house, as in a nest; to cherish, as a bird her young.
Nestling, s. A bird taken out of the nest.
Net, s. A texture woven with large interstices or meshes, used for taking fish and birds. Game is frequently thus poached, and to the smaller kinds, particularly snipes, the net is very destructive.
The snipe net seems to be the most destructive, and is used with great success in Ireland, as follows: it must be about half as long again as the partridge-net, with the meshes much smaller and not quite so deep; two strong men hold each end of the net, and run down the wind with it, as fast as possible, having not time even to look where they are going, as they must constantly mind the net, to see when a bird strikes it, that they may let it fall, by which means they secure these birds; they get, of course, very severe falls, from the attention they are obliged to pay to the net, but are amply repaid, it being no uncommon circumstance for them to take one or two hundred brace, in a very few hours (especially if the day is dark and windy, which is the most favourable time both for gun and net). The top part of the net gets so forward, that by the time the snipe perceives it, and rises, on striking the lower part of it, he is secured. One netted snipe is worth twenty that are shot.