The sun., 1903-10-04
Cunning in the Wild Rice Of
the Mississippi.
RAILS FURNISH SPORT NOW.
Millions of Them Resting Along
the Rivers Banks.

''." Them Musk allonge FISHING NJ Its
Best-Runed Grouse Found on Woods
Troublesome Of the Cunning on the
Upper siIssissippi Spoiled by the High
water-sport with the Wood Ducks.
The winding miles Of the upper Missis-
sippi river, the Illinois and most OF the
smaller streams which flow into the great
waterway are paths Of wild rice. VI all
plants. it is most valuable to the sports
man. for where 1t grows all forms OF Ameri-
can wild fowl are to be found.
At this season. before the ducks and
geese are down from Canada in great num-
bers, the wild rice has for tenants few
jacksnipe and millions upon millions OF
rails and rice hens These birds stick TO
It until they have gone down nearly to the
latitude of St. Louis Then they scatter
southward and are no more banded until
the following autumn,
The rail is mysterious midget. Through
late August and early September the rice
may wave thick and inviting. but not
sound will come from it save the chirp
of some small, wrenlike bird or the heavy
splash of the muskallonge In search of
bass. Then of a morning. just at dawn, it
will be vocal with the sharp notes which
give the rail it's name Of clapper.
Up and down the river for miles the
sound runs, rising and falling. ceasing
as suddenly as it began. 1t starts from
a single sharp call given by some bird hid
den in the rice and swells Immediately
into riot Of repetitons, ceasing in unison
as if to the wave of a leaders baton. When
the sun shows it is saluted with burst
in which each tiny yelper tries to split its
throat The rail is genuinely fire
worshipper
All of these thousands and thousands OF
birds come in at night. No man ever saw
them come. Among all the dwellers along
the Mississippi. the Illinois and the Fox.
men whose lives are passed on the water
with rod or gun. not one has ever seen
or heard the rail come: not one has ever
seen or heard it go.
1t is of slow and awkward fight. 1t
seems to waste much effort in transporting
its small body. When flushed 1t will not
rise more than ten feet above the water
and will pitch again within fifty yards,
as il exhausted by the effort,
To look at it man would say that it could
not fly hundred miles in five days. Yet
its short, apparently weak wings are COM
petent to carry it tremendous distances in
little time 1t is bred in Canada, and has
it's winter home as far down as the southern
most coast Of Mexico; and it makes this
journey of thousands Of miles so swiftly.
easily and silently that its passing is un-
noted
The birds winter over all the wet part OF
the territory between the lower edge of
South Carolina and upper Central America,
from the Atlantic back to the mountains
They are safe, save from natural enemies.
once they get South. for nobody down
there p .yS any attention to them,
III tu4 North hern wild rice, where it swarms.
ihe rail gets different treatment. Men
whose guns have rested idle in the cases
for nine months are glad to crack away at
it and to eat it afterward. It takes the
creaking out of their elbows and the blur
from their eyes.
1t is in he nature Of breaking in and
half fits them for nobler sport with ducks
and snipe which ls to come later The
rail is down ahead of the bigger species
and pays for it
II has been said that the rail is Of slow,
awkward flight, indisposed to exertion, will
not 90 far, and seems to make even its short
fight under protest. 1t will sit upon wild
rice stem looking at the boat until! the PROV
is within yard of it. Then it will give it's
bell-iike exclamation and flutter away.
Indeed, when the rail are first down, men
who want them merely for money kill
good many Of them with long poles. swiping
them from the edges Of the rice. The birds
may be too young and tr,Istful then, or they
may be weary from flight. They will not
suffer so close an approach after they have
been in the rice for day or two.
- 1t may be supposed that shooting the rail
is tame sport. So il is when compared
with knocking down wind driven bluebils
or solitary teal yet it has its di fficultles,
enough OF them to make it worth while.
A good many are missed, except by care
full and expert mon. They rise at from ten
to fifteen yards going to right or left or
straight away, and even rail which jumps
to the right and goes back is an awkward
target for a right hand shooter in boat
that is none too steady.
Furthermore, the bird is small; over tho
water it seems to be closer than it is. and
like all other birds, it is getting through
the inexperienced naan would judge. 1t is
easy enough to shoot behind crossing
rail, as good many hunters have found ;
1t not infrequenty happens that the shot
are distributed so that they pass on every
side Of the little body without nipping
feather.
The shooter, too. is handicapped by the
charges. He cannot go after rail with
ordinary shells, because most OF the birds
If hit at all would be blown to pieces. He
cannot, for the same reason, use the COM
mon sizes Of shot, SIS or SIS.
The rail shell is loaded specially for rail
and it is very weak. In n gun Of H.
gauge two drams OF powder is ample. and
II will be better load if only dram
and half is used. On this is a single pink
edged wad and half an ounce Of No. 10
shot, or even No. IL, the shot commonly
called dust.
With such load rail flushing at ten
yards and going another ten yards befoI
II is shot at is not dead bird Of certainty.
II Is even necessary TO be careful and centre
II with the pattern or 1t will get away.
Quick shooting is often demanded, and
Of the birds are in the rice which runs out In
a solid wall for twenty feet from the bank.
They cannot he shot because they cannot
be seen.
Most Of the visible birds are on the very
edge of the rice, not more than foot or
two from it's impervious shelter. Often
they will run out and take a look. and dart
back like flash IF yard or two out.
they may rise and fly back straight over
the rice.
In either case il is needful to shoot quickly
in one instance to prevent the bird from
darting hack into cover. in the other to
kill IL before II gets we'll over the wall Of
stems. II il falls a yard within this wall
II will not be retrieved,
or course. il the hunter will take sitting
shots he can kill rail all day, can load the