THE MISSISSIPPI RESERVES 275 



sand; but the owners of the houses have suc 

 ceeded, using dead leaves and what manure is 

 available; and in this leaf -mould the trees and 

 grasses and flowers grow in profusion. Long, 

 flimsy wooden docks stretch out into the waters 

 of the Gulf; there is not much bad weather, as 

 a rule, but every few years there comes a terrible 

 storm which wrecks buildings and bridges, de 

 stroys human lives by the thousand, washes 

 the small Gulf sailing craft ashore, and sweeps 

 away all the docks. 



Our host s house was cool and airy, with 

 broad, covered verandas, and mosquito screens 

 on the doors and the big windows. The trees 

 in front were live-oaks, and others of his own 

 planting magnolias, pecans, palms, and a 

 beautiful mimosa. The blooming oleanders 

 and hydrangeas were a delight to the eye. Be 

 hind, the place stretched like a long ribbon to 

 the edge of the fragrant pine forest, where the 

 long-leaved and loblolly pines rose like tall 

 columns out of the needle-covered sand. Five 

 pairs of mocking-birds and one pair of thrashers 

 had just finished nesting; at dawn, when the 

 crescent of the dying moon had risen above the 

 growing light in the east, the mockers sang 

 wonderfully, and after a while the thrasher 

 chimed in. Only the singing of nightingales 



