A FAVORITE SPOT. 281 



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 otherwise, 

 they are not much appreciated as an article of food. 



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

 riety of this appreciated race, I know few places I can more 

 strongly recommend than a beautifully - timbered, placid 

 stream, called the Iroquois, flowing through the northern 

 part of the State of Illinois. Autumn was the season when 

 first I visited it, and so charmed was 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 won- 

 derfully free from intrusion ; so much so, that my friend 

 and self have frequently gone from morning till night with- 

 out 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 remark- 

 able ; no, it was only a commonplace prairie stream, about 

 sixty yards wide, margined at the edge with lilies and 

 sedge, which was again bounded on the drier ground by 

 dwarf hazel and alder-bushes in sparsely-scattered clumps, 

 the whole framed in with thin, widely-scattered, diminutive 

 trees. Thus the reader will perceive that there was enough 

 cover to get within range of your game, not sufficient to in- 

 terfere with your aim, and the walking was excellent on 

 both sides, free from quagmire or cedar swamp. 



I can recall with pleasure the rich golden mellow of the 

 American autumn glinting over this retired scene, and al- 

 most every variety of duck passing with strong and rapid 

 pinion, unconscious of danger, along the centre of the 

 stream, and within such easy gunshot that we invariably 



