278 PRAIRIE AKD FOREST. 



of necessity, the sportsman ought always to spare 

 them. 



The WHISTLER is about the size of the former, but 

 fuller in form. It is a dark, sombre bird, with a 

 heautiful white bar on each wing. They derive their 

 name from a sharp whistling sound emanating from 

 each wing when in flight. Unlike the former species, 

 they frequent the rapids and air holes of rivers in 

 severe frost, consequently are not, strictly speaking, sea 

 ducks. When in such haunts they are extremely wary 

 and difficult of approach, and being very powerful of 

 wing and extremely tenacious of life, will fly a long 

 distance after they have been severely wounded. 

 Although my experience would cause me to say other- 

 wise, they are not much appreciated as an article of 

 food. 



For general duck shooting, that is, for killing a great 

 variety of this appreciated race, I know few places I can 

 more strongly recommend than a beautifully-timbered 

 placid stream called the Irequois, flowing through the 

 northern part of the State of Illinois. Autumn w r as 

 the season when first I visited it, and so charmed w r as 

 I with its suitableness for this description of sport that 

 I tarried by its banks not only the two weeks originally 

 intended, but many weeks more. 



For a water-course situated in a settled State it was 

 wonderfully free from intrusion ; so much so, that my 

 friend and self have frequently gone from morning till 

 night without seeing the face of a stranger. 



The appearance of this river is easily described, for 

 there was no grand cascade or boiling rapid to make 

 it remarkable ; no, it was only a commonplace prairie 

 stream about sixty yards wide, margined at the edge 



