The Bird Life of the Gulf Coast Region of Mississippi
Considering the accessibility of the Gulf coast of Mississippi, and the variety and attractiveness of its bird life, one is rather surprised at the meager ornithological information available concerning it. Forty years ago Andrew Allison made a brief study of the winter bird life of Hancock County, in the southwestern corner of the State, but otherwise this stretch of coast has been largely neglected. The geographical position of southern Mississippi is probably one reason for this. Ornithologists with a desire to become familiar with southern bird life apparently could not resist the lure of Florida, or of Louisiana, and as a result the intervening area was given little consideration when field work was planned. Even today few ornithologists can claim more than a casual acquaintance with this section of the southeastern United States.