The Encyclopaedia of Sport and Games

Every sport and game of the Edwardian world in four volumes — from angling and ballooning to yachting — written by the people who did them, Theodore Roosevelt on big game among them.

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VIII (Precautions against Accidents)

Precautions against Accidents. All guns must be kept open at the breech while the traps are being refilled, or while shooters are changing their marks. In the case of automatic guns, a shooter retiring from No. 5 must remove all undischarged cartridges. Any person infringing this rule shall be fined one shilling.

IX. "No-Birds" from Fault of Throwing.- A shooter may refuse a no-bird if thrown broken from the trap, or if it be not fairly thrown; but SHOOTING] a shooter who takes a bird or part of a bird shall be bound by the result.

X. "No-Birds" if Extra Ones Accidentally Thrown. In cases where a bird or birds are accidentally released so as to be flying in the air at the same time as the bird or birds at which the shooter is required to fire, the shooter may elect to treat it as a no-bird.

XI. "No-Birds" from Fault of Gun, &c. If the shooter's gun, being properly loaded and cocked, fails to fire from any cause whatever, excepting through the fault of the shooter, the bird shall be counted a no-bird. If the gun misses fire with the first barrel, and the shooter fires the second and "breaks," the shot shall be scored a "kill"; but if he fires the second and misses, it shall be scored a "miss"; and if he does not fire the second it shall be a "no-bird." If the gun misses fire with the second barrel, the shooter shall be allowed another bird, using a cartridge primed and loaded with powder, but without a charge of shot in the first barrel and a loaded cartridge in the second barrel; and he shall pull the trigger of the first barrel after the trap has been released. In the event of a shooter using a gun in which it is necessary to fire a fullyloaded cartridge to operate mechanism for firing the second cartridge (as in the case of a singlebarrel automatic gun), should the gun either jam when extracting the first cartridge, or miss-fire with the second cartridge, the shooter shall be allowed two more cartridges, and shall fire the first in the air, wide of the bird, after the trap has been released, and the second at the bird. In the event of the bird being killed with the first cartridge a miss shall be scored.

XII. "Kills." - A bird to be scored a "kill" must have a piece visibly broken from it whilst in the air. The referee shall be the sole judge as to whether the bird is broken, and any person impugning his decision shall be disqualified from the current competition. No bird shall, under any circumstances, be retrieved for examination.

XIII. Club Score Books. - Every club shall keep an official score book, showing in detail the result of every competition, and such score book shall always be available for examination by any person duly authorised by the Association. Broken birds or "kills" shall be indicated by the figure one (1), and missed birds by a nought (o).

XIV. Prohibition of Betting. -No betting shall be allowed.

SPECIAL RULES FOR CONTINUOUS FIRE DOWN THE LINE." 66 XV. Position of Shooters. There shall be six shooters for the five marks. Five shooters shall occupy the five marks, and No. 6 shooter shall stand behind No. I, waiting his turn. No. I shooter shall fire first from No. I mark, No. 2 shooter from No. 2 mark, and so on in rotation down the line. At the completion of the round, No. I shall take the place of No. 2, and No. 6 shall occupy No. I mark, No. 2 shall occupy No. 3 mark, and so on, No. 5 becoming the shooter in waiting behind No. I mark. No man shall leave his mark till the round is completed. In case of infringements of this condition, a fine of Is. shall be imposed. Should the number of shooters be less than six, a similar system will apply, there being then no shooter in waiting behind No. I mark at the outset.

XVI. "No. 1" "Pull." - When the shooters are at the mark, the puller shall call No. I, and the first shooter shall then call "pull!" and the other shooters on the line shall call "pull!" in the order of their turn to fire on the number of their trap being called by the puller.

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