434 PRODUCTIONS ANIMALS FOWLS. 



CHAPTER IX. 



Productions Animals Fowls Country for Sporting Mode of 

 Selling Land Unsold Public Land Number of Indians 

 Government policy towards the Indians War with Indians 

 Decrease of Population Agriculture Wages of Labour 

 Illinois and Upper Canada* 



THE productions of Illinois are numerous, including wheat, 

 Indian corn, tobacco, Irish and sweet potatoes, and the castor 

 bean from which oil is expressed. Cotton and wine are said 

 to be productions of the southern parts. Almost every kind 

 of fruit attains perfection. Honey is obtained in great quan 

 tities both from wild and domesticated bees, which gather 

 sweets from the prairie flowers. 



The wild animals include bears ; grey, black, and prairie 

 wolves ; two varieties of the fox ; rabbits, &c. &c. Deer are 

 very numerous throughout the state. The hare is not found 

 in North America. 



The wild-fowl embrace geese, ducks, turkeys, and quails 

 in endless numbers. The ruffed grouse, or prairie hen, is 

 very plentiful, and one of the finest of game birds. While 

 walking from Chicago I observed them often singly, and sel 

 dom more than two or three together. In the neighbourhood 

 of Springfield they were in flocks of from sixty to seventy, 

 scattered over a considerable space while feeding, and, when 

 disturbed, rising on wing without concert, in the manner of 

 the British pheasant. 



The prairies of Illinois seem to me the only good sporting- 

 country I saw in America. The ruffed grouse, in size and 

 mode of flying, resemble the black-cock of Britain, and are 

 every where in great numbers. Quails may be as easily shot 

 as sparrows in England, and there are abundance of deer. 

 Fox-hunting might be pursued at a rattling pace over the 



