168 THE WILSON BULLETIN— December, 1921 



almost impenetrable cypress swamp, making the exact out- 

 line of the lake somewhat indefinite at best. The shores 

 are so low that any slight rise in the level of the water 

 tends to change entirely the outline of parts of the lake. 

 During the writer's stay in May and June (1920) the 

 heavy rains up country had raised the water so that in 

 many places trees for hundreds of feet beyond the ordinary 

 boundary of the lake stood two feet or more in water. 

 From this it will be seen that a map of the region this 

 week may prove entirely incorrect next month! In many 

 places the lake is shallow, and studded with knotty cy- 

 presses (Taxodium distichum) . Islands are abundant — 

 though the}^ may often be under water — and furnish 

 ideal breeding grounds for herons, water-turkeys, ibis and 

 other seclusion-loving species. Spanish moss (Dendro- 

 pogon usneoidefi) drapes everything, and the semi-tropical 

 aspect is carried further by the abundance of water moc- 

 casins (Ankistrodon piscivorous) and alligators ( Alli- 

 gator mississippiensis). The characteristic trees of the 

 highlands surrounding the swamp itself are the oaks, with 

 the white (Qucrcus aiha), red {Q. rubra). Black Jack (Q. 

 marylandica) and liv^e (Q. inrginia) predominating. On 

 many of the ridges the sliort-leaved pine (Pinus echinata) 

 is common. 



The Caddo lake region is to-day a bird paradise, and 

 one of the very few spots in all Texas that is suitable as 

 a game refuge. Within its bounds the last remnants of 

 nearly extinct species still cling to existence. If this 

 region could be set aside, it is well witliin tlie realm of 

 possibility' that such species might still, under aileqnate 

 protection, be saved for future generations. Unfortunate- 

 ly, however, the concept of conservation in Texas is still 

 beyond the grasp of the jniblic mind, and the sentiment for 

 protection of wild life is almost lacking. It would seem as 

 if every state must learn the lesson of conservation for 

 itself, for it is rare that one state profits by the experience 

 of its neighbors, costly as it nmy have been. In spite of its 

 great area, the wild life of Texas is going — not rapidly, 

 but steadilv. 



