GAME AND FISH RESORTS. 63 



Morgan's Railroad and Jackson Railroad. At Miller's, the hunter or fisherman, 

 as the case may be, finds a camp, so to speak, of three or four houses, situated 

 upon a shell island of the prairie near the shore of Lake Catherine, and directly 

 upon the bayou, where ample provision is furnished — such as pirogue, decoys, a 

 clean bunk, and plenty of duck, and fish, and coffee, and other consolation for the 

 inner man, all for a moderate sum ; and at an equally modest sum can be procured 

 guides. These guides are experienced in manoeuvering the pirogue across the 

 betimes angry waves of Lake Catherine, or through the intricate maze of a 

 crooked, narrow bayou. Woe to him who, under " Tom's " care, fails to kill 

 ducks at Seven Ponds, Bayous Bob, Pecan, or Cassenay, at Grand Point, or the 

 Corridors, or snipe on Frederic Burn, or Ween's Island ! Black, grey, mallard, 

 canvas-back, teal, " fan-fan," " /'ci; see^^ ^'' dos grcs" and many varieties of 

 duck, with names peculiar to the Creole vocabulary, are found here in great num- 

 bers, from November ist to March ist. Prior thereto and after, large bags are not 

 frequent. Miller's Bayou offers red fish, sheepshead, green trout, and striped 

 bass. The fare from New Orleans to Miller's Bayou is $1.50. Other favorite 

 spots near the city for teal, canvas-back and red head shooting are along the upper 

 line of Canal Street, at the Lake Swamp, and Little Lake. Twin Lakes, two 

 miles from Miller's Bayou, is a famous place for ducks. 



J'laqtieniine I'arish — 



The vicinity of the mouth of the Mississippi is a resort for great numbers of 

 ducks. Hunters there kill sometimes one thousand in a day. 



St. tTohii Baptist Parish— 



Bayou De Sair, on the west shore of Lake Pontchartrain is noted for its fine 

 fishing. In the adjoining cypress swamp is good deer and bear hunting. 



iS*. 3Iaro's I'arish — 



Bayou Teche., Irish Bend. Jack snipe, wood duck, quail, woodcock 

 shooting. 

 St. Tammany Parish — 



Mandville is a pretty summer bathing, and winter hunting and fishing resort 

 for New Orleans people, situated thirty miles from the city, on the north shore of 

 Lake Pontchartrain, which is crossed every day by an elegant passenger steamer. 



The game consists, along the coast, of what the French Creole citizens call the 



friissec, a very small bird ; two varieties of the eye, somewhat larger ; magnolia 

 irds, robins, snipe, woodcock, cedar birds, French and English duck, teal in 

 abundance, wild geese. Potties d'eau and Pe^^ebot, rail, snipe, with half a dozen 

 other less important varieties. 



The northern part of this parish, near Pearl River, is thinly inhabited, and 

 abounds in wild pine, live oak, and magnolia forests and swamps. Here large 

 numbers of deer, wild turkeys, quails, and squirrels, and occasionally a few bears 

 and wild cats are killed. 



Lake Pontchartrain is generally brackish, sometimes quite fresh from the Mis- 

 sissippi crevasses, and sometimes again quite salty. The fresh water streams 

 that flow into it from the pine hills, abound in yellow and red perch, with some 

 pickerel, and not a few " green trout" the local name for the black bass. It is 

 the favorite fresh water game fish. The Tangipahoa River, twenty miles from 

 here, contains a species of fresh water speckled trout, and many large rock fish, 

 which, like the green trout, are caught with a " bob." 



Lake Pontchartrain is a glorious fishing ground. With a crab and cast net, the 

 angler can catch all the red crawfish, crabs, shrimps, and mullets he wants for 

 bait (or food) in a few moments. With these he can, from a bath house, wharf or 

 boat, catch striped bass, the famous sheepshead, redfish, sea perch, sea trout and 

 croakers, not to mention a superior quality of speckled catfish. The fishing is 

 good all the year round, but best in the winter. Striped bass are most plentiful 

 almost all winter. Sheepshead abound at this season, but are difficult to catch 

 with a hook, from lack of proper bait. 



The redfish is quite plentiful. And he is the gamest fish in the lake. With 

 mullet for bait and a reel, the sport of plaving him is magnificent. He is the staple 

 good salt water fish of the South, and bites well on the Gulf coast all the year 

 round. 



The speckled sea trout are found a couple of months in the autumn, and bite 

 voraciously at any kind of bait, " bob " or fly. The croaker is a beautiful sil- 



