72 The Wilson Bulletin— No. 104 



Leaving Biloxi on February 20th I went back to New Orleans 

 and thence to Mancleville, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. 

 The village of Mancleville is situated upon the north shore 

 of Lake Ponchartrain, almost directly across the lake from 

 New Orleans — twenty-one miles across the lake as the crow 

 flies, but about sixty miles around by railroad, and as there 

 were no boats crossing the lake at this season it was neces- 

 sary to take the New Orleans & Great Northern for the ^^ixty 

 miles — a ride of some three hours through pine woods and 

 marsh-land, where the new green leaves were opening and 

 things looked very spring-like indeed. The following four 

 days were spent in the country about Mandeville. Biloxi, 

 Mississippi, was a thriving little town, but Mandeville, Lou- 

 isiana, was decidedly rural. The most noticeable thing about 

 the place to the northern visitor was the great numbers of 

 live stock that roamed about at will. Cows and horses every- 

 where, on the streets and sidewalks, and back in the woods 

 it was cows and goats and little razor-back hogs. There are 

 no fence laws and these animals go and come wherever and 

 whenever they please. 



While the residents of southern Louisiana seem one and 

 all to have a great afifection for the Mockingbird, this species 

 seems to be about the only one for which there is any esthetic 

 feeling. Other birds appeal to them entirely according to the 

 quality of the bird's flesh and this makes the work of the De- 

 partment of Conservation very difficult in enforcing its laws 

 for the protection of the insectivorous birds. These people 

 have shot Robins and Wood Thrushes and Vireos and King- 

 birds all their lives and it is difficult to explain to them why 

 they should stop it now, and still harder to keep them from 

 killing these birds. Mr. A. E. Manint, the Department of 

 Conservation's agent in St. Tammany Parish, has done re- 

 markably good work in protecting the birds in his territory 

 and at the same time has kept the good will of the people. He 

 has been diplomatic, and from what I saw it appears that 

 most of the people like him and respect his authority. 



