. Old Ironsides, the hero of Tripoli and 1812, and other tales and adventures on sea and land . HE loon in somerespects is themost wonder-ful bird in theworld. Who•* ever saw man,animal or fowldodge the bul-let or charge o of a gun? Thethought seemsabsurd of it-self, and yet theloon will do itover and overagain, when thehunter is buta few rods dis-tant. In fact he holds human markmanship insuch contempt that he will disport around a boat-ful of gunners as if defying their attempts to winghim. At the instant the flash is seen, and the ball orload of shot is in the act of leaving the gun, hewith
. Old Ironsides, the hero of Tripoli and 1812, and other tales and adventures on sea and land . HE loon in somerespects is themost wonder-ful bird in theworld. Who•* ever saw man,animal or fowldodge the bul-let or charge o of a gun? Thethought seemsabsurd of it-self, and yet theloon will do itover and overagain, when thehunter is buta few rods dis-tant. In fact he holds human markmanship insuch contempt that he will disport around a boat-ful of gunners as if defying their attempts to winghim. At the instant the flash is seen, and the ball orload of shot is in the act of leaving the gun, hewith such marvelous celerity that he is out 198. A LIGHTNING DODGER. 199 of reach, when the death-dealing missile or missilescleave the water above him. Many skilful huntershave tried in vain to kill him, until, rightlyenough, the feat is regarded as one of which anyman may be proud. Late in the autumn and at the beginning of win-ter the loons leave the far northern lakes for themilder South. As they are heavy of wing, theyrest on their way, sometimes staying for a day ortwo in the smaller immediate bodies of water. LakeIveuka, in Pennsylvania, is what may be called away station for south-bound loons, and last fallthey were seen more frequently than usual on thatsheet of water. On the forenoon of last Thanksgiving, threemembers of the Hammondsport Club, J. C. Frei-dell, C. A. Champlin and Frank Griswold, werecrouching in front of the club house at Tangle-wood on the watch for wild ducks. While doing so,they observed a large bird which at first they tookfor a wild goose, flying up the lake. It came downwith a great splash, two hundre
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