The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1945-08-03

A
without being able to see a dog
is pretty sorry. And any driver
who hits a dog and drives on
without stopping is kind of a
sneak.
Anyway, old Spot got Up, walk
ed a lev PAGES, and fell over
dead.
AS we wrote before, Spot was
part bird dog, and his hunting
strain came out in him the way he
pointed the tame chicken all
day long. So this is our wish for
him: That he is now a full
fledged field dog and that he can
roam the fields and prairies of
heaven pointing real live quail
to his hearts content, forever.
a GOOD DOG GETS TO BE
like a member of the family. He
seems to understand everything
said TO him, and he has a real
personality. But unfortunately,
after a few years dogs generally
pass on. 1t is too bad they don't
live as long as people. A parrot
! can live eighty years, and eagles
have been known to live a hun
bred. There have been records
Of carp kept ir enclosed ponds
which have lived to $50. We
wish they had been a little more
generous with dogs when they
set the life spans of the species.
OVER THE WEEK END WE
SAILED OUT TO Round Island,
in perfect weather after the
heavy rains. The island is only
five miles out. but it is quite an
experience to get on the south
side in real salty water with a
stiff wlnd blowing and waves
running. The bathing is much bet
ter than bathing in the brackish
water along the coast, during the
rainy season. The bottom is hard
and sandy.
However, there are many stin-
garees along the islands, especi-
ally on the lee side, and you
have to keep an eye for them.
On the lee side, which means the
North side, out of the wind, there
are too many for swimming. You
can walk along the shallow SAN
dy water and see them by the
dozens, and big crabs crawling
lazily in the warm, sparkling wa
ter. On the long white sandbars
at the western point there r
scores of pelicans, and it is quite
a sight to see them get over a
school of pogies and do their
crash dive from about thirty
feet. They tuck one wing in and
turn over on their backs and do
a maneuver very similar to one
that military pilots call the
split S."
Out on the island one can see
interesting evidence of the
working of natural forces like
winds and tides. The eastern
side. exposed TO the surf and
the prevailing southeast wind.
is washing away. The pines are
vary tall there. end all along
the beach the big ones have
toppled over and T leaning
as the waters wash Through
their roots. But ell the sand
that ii washed from this end
of the island is carried along
its length and built up on a
long cleaning sand spit on
the western end. On this side.
the most recently made land.
the pines are smaller and
younger. becoming moreso as
they approach the waters edge.
AT the edge of the woods they
are only seedlings. proving
that this part of the island is
newly risen from the water.
Even from the mainland one
can see how the trees step down
in orderly progression on this
end. and how the big trees
grow TO the waters edge on
the other end.
Round Island is actually in mo-
ton, moving from west to east,
probably some twenty or thirty
feet a year. 1t would be interest
ing to note its position on charts
a hundred years old. to see if
the progress were measurble,
All of these islands and sand
splits out in the Gulf are rather
unstable. geologically speaking.
There was the famous case of
Last Island, off the Louisiana
coast. which was completely
washed away in a hurricane
about eighty years ago. II was a
famous resort nd hundreds of
people were killed in the big no.
tel there. including many promi-
nent New Orleans families. Laf-