90 WILD FOWL 



secrets of his habits, aiul who have hunted him su> 

 fully, the bird does not tly that causes the hunter's 

 heart to bound with delight and sends the warm blood 

 rushing through his veins, as does this erratic bird. 

 He comes and goes at such times as pleases his own 

 wandering fancy. To-day, one may visit the well- 

 known places of his resort, confident in finding 1 him and 

 his kind in large numbers. The most inviting places 

 are thoroughly searched. The keen nose propelled by 

 the tireless lope of the faithful setter or pointer fails to 

 search him out. Swamps are traversed : meadows 

 tramped over; marshes through which the springs 

 gently flow, are gone through : slimy beds of peat and 

 muck are visited, and still he cannot be found. This. 

 at a time w hen past successes would warrant one in 

 feeling confident that the bird would bo found in all 

 the places that have been so faithfully searched. The 

 skilled shooter does not despair because of his ill-luck, 

 but bides his time ; for experience has taught him that 

 on the very next day, perhaps, the very places where 

 he did not see a feather, will be full of birds dispersed 

 throughout the marsh, singly, in pairs, and scattered in 

 bunches or wisps, from twenty to fifty foot apart. Thcy 

 are found in abundance in Illinois and Iowa in all the 

 low-lauds black and loamy soil being their pla 

 feeding. They come and go, as a general thing, in the 

 night. This is shown by places which have been 

 thoroughly hunted over one day, and nothing seen, on 

 being visited the succeeding day, are found to be, one 

 might say, alive with them. The time of their arrival 

 is both spring and fall. I have always found them 

 more abundant in the spring. They come the latter 

 part of April, early in May. -onu limes late in that 



