height was raised, remote releasing of the targets was 
     
     established; and, to make the game more confined and 
     
     adaptable to the open bore grouse guns that were being 
     
     used, the radius of the circle was reduced from 25 to 
     
     20 yards. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Rules were soon established to simulate field 
     
     shooting conditions; to give the sense of walking on a 
     
     bird, the butt of the gun was required to be below the 
     
     elbow when calling for the target. A one-to-three 
     
     second delay of release lent the excitement and 
     
     anticipation of waiting for a live bird to break from 
     
     cover. "Around the Clock" was rapidly establishing 
     
     itself as the most popular gun game in that area of 
     
     Massachusetts. 
     
    
   
   
    
     As in all successful evolution, strange 
     
     circumstances quite often change course for the better 
     
     and the now established game of "Around the Clock" was 
     
     not to be an exception...One of Charles Davies' 
     
     neighbors, and an active shooting member whose 
     
     property bordered on the gun club, decided to go into 
     
     the poultry business and became very concerned that 
     
     the hail of lead pellets on his property might have a 
     
     very detrimental effect on the chickens' digestive 
     
     systems. He appealed to Davies, who appreciated the 
     
     problem, and promised to do everything possible to 
     
     rectify the situation,--so it was back to the drawing 
     
     board. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Charlie Davies had a new idea. He discussed it 
     
     with his son Henry, Bill Foster, and a few of the Club 
     
     members, and they all liked it. The idea was to cut 
     
     the circle in half, with the arc facing toward the 
     
     neighbour's field; place a second trap at station six 
     
     that would throw a target toward station twelve. This 
     
     would make seven stations on the semi-circle, plus the 
     
     centre station as the eighth. Beginning at the old 12 
     
     o'clock position, the stations would be re-numbered on 
     
     the arc of the circle, one to seven. They would set 
     
     the trap at station seven lower than the trap at one 
     
     to give additional variety to the sport. With two 
     
    
   
   
    
     —-134--