Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-07-06

which convey to a man in a duck
blind a vast amount of information |
upon which to act Ducks are COM |
ing toward the blind from the west |
and are flying low, ready for action.
Billy Crosby, Rolla Heikes, Fred
Gilbert and the writer had been in
attendance at a shooting tournament
in Kansas City. With Indianapolis
our next booking and with several
intervening days at our disposal,
Crosby invited the party to stop and
enjoy a duck hunt with him-an in
vitation which was Immediately ac-
cepted. Starting from OFallon, ILL.,,
the home of Crosby, we arrived at
Grafton, where the Illinois joins the
Mississippi river. We passed the
bluffs above Alton. famous for the
Indian legend of the Piasah Bird,
whose home was in a coria on the
side of the bluff. from which vantage
point the bird (Which was described
in the legend as having wings of suf-
ficient spread to darken the heavens,
talons of unusual size and with eyes
that charmed during the day and
emitted shafts of fire by nighO To-
Gated the Indians as they passed in
their canoes, at which time he would
select out the most succulent and
juicy warrior for his next meal,
swoop down. grasp his victim in his
talons and return to his rock retreat
to devour the unfortunate victim.
The series of human banquets con-
tinued until the Great Spirit ordered
the chief to remove this bird menace
to his tribe by the poison-arrow
route. Secreting himself in the cave,
when the bird returned he shot
poisoned arrow under his left wing,
n =. - % al
the tribal terror to vulture heaven.
We headquartered at the Smiley
Club on Twelve Mile Island. about
two miles above the Deerplain Club,
one of the finest on the Illinois river.
An introduction from Crosby made
us welcome guests, with all club priv
ileges.
The shooting lodge is near Fowlers
lake, the home of George Bethel.
native son of the marshes and expert
hunter. and all-around woodsman.
This lake is the roosting and feed
ing grounds for migratory ducks and
geese. Celery. grass nuts, rice,
smartweed and mast are the induce
ments offered duckdom to stop and
linger. Shore blinds, located on
points extending into the lake. are
used. and good bags are guaranteed
when there is a flight. A cosmopoli-
tan family of birds congregate at
this lake. The canvasback affiliates
with the teal. Mallards call the red
head brother. The coot or mud hen
is ever present, watching for a sue
culent tidbit of celery dug up but
overlooked by the deep water divers,
canvasback or redhead.
Heil1es and Gilbert were located in
a CnIfnla n hlinda nn the south Gida
of the lake. Crosby and the writer
were on the west bank, whore we
could see to advantage the shooting
of those boys on the pass flight. 1t
was marvellous. and we passed up
many good shots while watching
their performance. Doubles they
pulled down and singles cut out
every shot seemed to count and a
miss was so unusual it elected COM
ment. oh. boy! There never was a
better team of duckshots than Rolla
and Fred. Their artistic work with
the scattergun attracted the atten-
ton of George Betchel. the shooting
oracle of that section, and he came
over to meet that pair OF duckshoot- /
ers. He knew Crosby personally and !
the balance of our party by reputa-
tion. After an introduction, he in
vited us to go with him in the morn
ing to Zine" some wild geese which |
he had located in the timber above |
our camp. A new experience.
When Betchel called the following |
morning he was carrying an ak, rags |
for a smudge, two bright. clean wash |
boilers, mosquito netting to protect |
the head from the bees when the tree |
was cut. In a small wooden box |
fitted with a glass cover he had a !
=.
which were filled with heavy sugar |
syrup scented with a few drops of |
anise-seed oil. The day was perfect |
ly clear and there was no difficulty |
in seeing the shine of the bees wings. |
Arriving at a likely spot in the tim |
Der, a small piece of beeswax was |
burned; IL is claimed that bees will |
locate and are attracted by the odor |
a distance of five miles. While walt |
ing, Betchel advised US that three |
kinds of bees were found in a hive |
work bees or incomplete females, |
who care for the young, work inside l
the hive, maintain the heat, renew
the air and make the wax: drone or
male bees, who have no sting for de-
fense and gather no honey, and one
queen or mother bee. who lays all the
eggs. averaging 5000 per day for sew
eral weeks.
Here comes a bee." said Betchei.
who then busted a little -four on the
visiting bees that they might be rec
ognized and timed upon their return
trip, thus approximately estimating
the distance the bee tree was away.
With eyes directed heavenward, he
started on the bee course. finally To-
eating them about half a mile away
in an old elm, the bees working
about thirty feet up at point where
the tree forked. No bee hunters