AMATEUR PHOTO BY O. C MURRAY. 



HUNTING BOB WHITE IN MISSISSIPPI. 

 Winner of 14th prize in Recreation's 4th Annual Photo Competition. 



A DAY WITH THE DUCKS. 



PHILIP C. LOCKE 



"Come up to-morrow for some duck 

 shooting." This invitation I received from 

 Tom Alexander on August 30th, 1899. 

 Noon of Thursday, the 31st, saw me at 

 Manitou with gun, shells, etc. In 2 

 hours Tom and I were on the way to 

 Grassy lake, 16 miles North of Manitou. 

 There the Manitou Gun Club had a hunt- 

 ing lodge. We were but the forerunners 

 of a party of 13, and our duck shooting 

 was to begin September 1st. 



We reached the lodge about half past 4 

 and the others of the party arrived in 15 

 minutes. 



When the lodge was cleaned we had a 

 nice hot supper of soup, stewed chicken, 

 bought from a neighboring farm house, 

 boiled rabbit, apple pie, cake and tea. At 

 10 all hands turned in and at 5 the next 

 morning we set out. I got a good position 

 and loaded up. Soon a teal came along 

 and I scored a clean miss. Shot behind 

 him! Up and down the river I heard the 

 fire of the 12. We had stationed our- 

 selves at distances of 50 to 75 yards, and 



the ducks had to run the gauntlet of our 

 guns. 



Three big mallards came my way, about 

 40 yards off. To the report of the 12 bore 

 one pitched headlong into the water, badly 

 winged. Soon the birds came thick and 

 fast. 



"Take that one!" yelled the man next 

 to me. "I have wounded him." 



I got a fine overhead shot at the duck 

 and down he came, a big black fellow. 

 Then 2 came straight over my head, about 

 35 yards up, and I knocked one down. 

 After killing 2 more, Sanders and I went 

 up the river to where it joins the lake. I 

 had some fair shooting there, and got 3 

 more ducks, making 9 for that morning's 

 work. 



When we returned to camp about 10 

 o'clock and emptied our game bags we 

 had 150 birds among the 12 of us. There 

 were mallards, teal, spoon-bills, grays, 

 blacks, a few redheads, and some canvas- 

 backs. We kept out 25 for dinner and 

 supper and sent the others to our friends 

 in Manitou. 



The subordinate dashed up to the Fili- 

 pino commander. 



"General, the marines are landing from 

 the enemy's ships!" 



"All right," responded his commander, 

 as he peeled a banana, "get ready to 

 pepper the salts." — Chicago News. 



18 



