DUCK SHOOTING ON THE ILLINOIS RIVER I4I 



There are a large number of lakes and overflowed land 

 on both sides of the river for ten miles above and below 

 Liverpool. 



The next morning, having made arrangements to make 

 my headquarters at Liverpool, about 8 o 'clock I started 

 up the river with about twenty canvasback decoys in my 

 boat. 



There was some shooting going on both up and down 

 the river and much quacking by the live decoys along 

 the river front at Liverpool confined in the large crate- 

 like pens, open at the top, with one end on shore and 

 the other in the w^ater. 



After rowing about six miles I reached the lower end 

 of Senate Island. This island is nearly a half mile long, 

 lying closest to the west bank, and curved its entire 

 length in crescent shape, following a bend in the river. 



The bluebills were working along the outer edge of 

 the island. A large oak tree had. fallen into the river 

 and lay with one end on shore and the other extending 

 out into the river 25 or 30 feet, with branches about 10 

 or 15 feet above the water. I set my decoys out just 

 below the tree, rowed in among the branches and shot 

 out of my boat instead of from the banl^. The birds 

 were flying well and I got the limit in a few hours. They 

 were the greater scaup, fat, and many of them nearly 

 as large as redheads. Later on I shot from further 

 down on the island a couple of times. Others were also 



