WOUNDING OF BIRDS IN BIG SHOOTS
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—I see in your issue of October 19th another amusing letter about shooting from an anonymous correspondent who calls himself " X."
Why a man who prefers to kill his annual crop of birds in one or two big shoots should be blamed for perpetrating an atrocious " holocaust," while his neighbour who does the same thing in a dozen small shoots, which must involve an equal amount of wounding, is considered a good sportsman, is one of those things that no fellow can understand.
Again Mr. " X " considers that a man who shoots at the head of " a fine cock grouse " as it is driven towards him is almost a murderer, while Mr. " X " himself feels justified in shooting at the same bird's tail as it rises in front of his dogs. The difference is hard to comprehend, especially as the head shot is far more likely to result in a clean miss or clean kill.
Mr. " X " also objects to hand-reared pheasants when he ought to know that by the time November comes, the month in which big shoots are held, hand-reared pheasants are quite indistinguishable from wild ones.—I am, Sir, &c., Bidford House, Leamington. HERBERT W. H. GREEN.
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