The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-03-25
DUCKS BEGINNING TO Fly.
SPOR1SMEN DEIECy BIRD SGNS .
~ IHLl SPRING

nav ~ 49,
denipg IN, Hearts Of til" Gunner
ClRRoLLToN. III. March II. Tho scattering
ooouts OF ths returning Wild 'uwl have gon"
porthward andnOw tho vanguard OF bu'terh&IS
and bluebills IL Speeding p1,t, their ,sldrp
elbows singing against thr down.b'owlng
winds. Ten days ngo the in,Iiai honking %
the wild goose w. It's point toward tho
north star. toll Of An early ~Irns, II was
followed by tho first detachment - sandhi!l
cranes. dying as usual in broken formltion,
and after them cam the hardy little ducks
which do not 60 10 the Gulf until fee cakes are
floating in the lakes ami rivers. and wrnd their
ways northwnrd as socn rs their secret intcIli-
gence tells them that the waters are opening.
The winter In the West has been 50 open and
the birls remained so long in tho high lati-
tudes that II was thought they would be- late
In returning. but they are even ahead Of their
customary time. People ont hero place no de-
pendence on the goose.bone prophet and they
believe that Hicks OF 81. Louis IL airy and vain.
but they do swear by the wild fowl and they
havo never found their trust misplaced. Tho
lovc-making OF the crows IL another sign Of
the breakup and for some time past they have
been cawing in the treetop, and selecting
their mates.
At this time, and for some daysto come. there
Ia no more harm in spring shooting than in fall
shooting. though most Of the States have for
hidden 1t. 1t is true that on the Journey back
TO the breeding grounds many hens are slain
which would otherwise raise ducklings, but i
Is true also that many Of them are killed on thp
southwark flight which would prove 10 be-
breeders later on. II f. still so steadily cold
that there is no danger that the game will spoil
before 1t can be shipped to market, by April.
however, large piles OF dead ducks and geese
will be decaying on the river banks, OF no use
TO anybody. and II IL this feature Of spring
shooting which makes ii so generally con-
demned. Market hunters. however, and many
sportsmen who do not shoot Tor a living. pay
little attention to tho sentiment OF the case.
With many men il Is sufficient To say thai the
ducks are coming and sport may be hat There
are plenty Of these all through tn West. and
they are nowhere th!ckor than along the
Illinois River.
This stream l. a natural ua.Sagrway for re-
turning wild fowl. and for a sufficient reason.
In seeking their summer grounds ducks and
geese. for the most part. follow tho water. Tho
rivers open long In advance 81 the IAkoS and
small ponds. In flying south thu game covers
a wide extent OF territory. vs. it IS more scat
tered. It stands the more chau'e Tor is lite ami
comparatively small bags are made. In ROM
ing back. however. 1t swings up the rivers.
there being no other water within reach. and IL
falls in tens Of thousands. The Mississippi
River. which is always open for the greater
part OF its length. is Il ~favorite avenue tor the
return. and millions Of the birds curve east.
ward when the mouth OF the Illinois is reached
and follow its windings, II is a stream rich in
duck food. and it has come to be much shot
over. The flyers stick to It until they are half
way to Chicago. then. for the most part, they
desert it and 20 due north. tlying over middle
and western Wisconsin to Lake superior and
beyond. In coming north they reverse their
order in going south. First are the butter.
balls. then the bluebills. then mallards, can.
yaSbacks. redheads. wilseons, gldweils.
sprigtais. wood ducks, g~reen-winged teals
and blue winged teals. These last, green and
blue. go no further north than the Iakcs Ot
Wisconsin. many OF them breeding on the Ior-
icon marshes about the middle of the State.
One OF the earliest corners is the di-dapper,
or "hell-diver." so called from the remarkable
swiftncss with which it gets under water when
danger threatens, Noman with q gun. how
ever. pays any attention to it. 1t Is almost i'm.
possible to kin it when 1t Is sitting on the
water, as 1t watches the sportsman closely. and
dives as soon as his hand moves. allowing the
shot to patter harmlessly upon the water il 80
lately occupied. Negroes in the South who
use hammer guns Kill 1t often by cutting o
circular pi1ce Of pasteJoard AMI fitting it
round the barrels lust in front OF the ham.
mers, leaving q small orince through which
sight Is taken. The di-dappcr cannot then see
the motion of the trigger hand. Northern
shooters go to no such trouble, as the bird il
bony and poor OF flesh and unspeakahly tlshy.
1t is difficult to eXplain itS long migrations, as
It Is Of very poor flight, not often covering
more than 100 yards ere It again hits the
water. but it is probable that. in seeking the
Gull. IL swims "a, least as much as il flies. and,
striking u southwark flowing stream. paddles
all night. IL Is swii, on the water and able 10
cover a great distance II swimming steadily.
The rail is another semi-aquatic bird, Of
clumsy air motion, but IT makes nothing OF a
thousand or fifteen hundred miles. What be-
comes of this bird in the spring no man in the
West can say. In the autumn the streams are
filed with them. not a clump OF wild rice fail.
ing TO have a a. zcn tenants. Often POO fa,l In
day to a single gun. They remain in countless
mum bers for two weeks. Then one might most
of them get w and - an three day, after not
one is left. In the srrn-, though it is certain
they come North to breed. nothing at all is
ever seen Of them. II Is sure, however. that
they do not start back until the rivers are all
open. Possibly in seeking their breeding
grounds they iced and rest at night, making
their flights by day So high as to be- Invisible.
The sanlhill crane /, an individual which
starts north early because II has a igrg way to
go. II breeds rs far ~ Almost a. the Bailln's
BAY country. making it,. ummrr home along
thu thousand nlct- OF HUDSON Bay. 1t has
apparently an unlimited ability to withstant
cold. though It's long legs are Utterly unpro-
tected from the thlAh down, IL i. not n sAitt
flyer. In this respect being much the Inferior Of
the Canada goose. hut 1t has the capacity To- go
on forever once 1t has started. Oten IT VIII hy
for two DAYS and nights Without once seeking
ground. averaging lorty miles an hour with a
steady pers Silence worthy OF all praise. sand.
hill cranes have been killed IN Illinois having
In their crops ami bodies portions of
undigested food gathered in the gult
s sSSan' ISe neiIfh d ,hI not una s a fowl. A WS"n
roasted as thu goose j. roasted, Is equal to III
flesh OF any large, fcather"l think, 1t gets
very fat in winter. the breast Il plump and
tender. and Il has an exquisite flavor. i 4, a
sort Of singei cn', icing much better than II
looks 10 be. AMI II has ~ ~uuuaul~Jmc appear.
ancc to thank tyr It's Preservation from r"stau-
rant menus, IL + not often sam - man,
partly hecaus" II Is seemingly uuiuyituE and
partly because II Is one ut IN" WdrIest ~ flows,
equaling. IN caution amt a-'utcut ,, the wild
turkey. II falls a victim spmrt,me-. however
curve OF a river. It /, shot a. IL swings around
a bend. flying low because the March winds
iron. the North are high, and II IS the practice
OF al iowl to get as close a.. pos-itle TO tho
ground IN such weather IN order to overcome
partially the strong air resistance. ! sapdhiI
crane In good condition Will weigh nlne pounds
dressed. and 1t Is not 70 be sner2nd at by any
set Of epIcures.
Shooting In spring along the Illinois River ia
Of an attractive kind. A majority # the hunt.
-. WHO bfec; this Iart II It are from 1T. Ions