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 
