6 OUR DUCKS. 
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What country can vie with this in diversity of 
climate? From a land of fruit and flowers, gorgeously 
colored birds and sunny skies, to lands of snow and 
ice, hail and blizzards; where spring jumps into sum- 
mer, and fall is suddenly embraced in the icy grasp of 
winter? Its boundless fields of hard and northern 
wheat lying upon a fenceless level, beautiful moon- 
light nights and magnified stars; where brilliant 
auroras and mirages are frequently observed through 
the pure dry air of the winter months? This variabil- 
ity of climate renders our country admirably adapted 
for the immense flocks of migratory waterfowl which 
inhabit it, notwithstanding some travel further north, 
even beyond British America to its sea-girt islands; 
conversely, some scatter through Mexico, the West 
India Islands and down to South America. 
The fly-ways up and down our great rivers and 
their tributaries, connecting with our chains of inland 
lakes, enable our waterfowl to spread over the entire 
country; extending shooting privileges unsurpassed 
by those of other nations. It proves the greatest boon 
ducks scould have, for it alone restricts the annual 
spring and fall migration to this continent, instead of 
passing to other countries, as in Europe, according to 
the habits and peculiarities of the various species. It 
affords them a range of breeding grounds in every 
state in the Union, sparingly in the south to the frost 
line, but rapidly increasing after they pass the 42° 
parallel and nature admonishes them to increase, 
multiply and replenish the earth. 
Enjoying the possession of the finest game country 
the world has produced, our sportsmen have been and 
