TALK OF THE STREETS

LEON: Dead Ducks The odor of death hangs over the artificial lake near this Mexican industrial city where 25,000 migrating waterfowl have died since mid- December. Water samples from the Silva Reservoir show high concentrations of the pesticide endosulfan, though local farmers and tanneries in the area deny using the chemical. As officials search for clues, the National Water Commission patrols the reservoir in a boat equipped with a siren, and volunteers set off fireworks to scare waterfowl away. Though the water has been declared dangerous for use in homes and in some kinds of agriculture, farmers continue to irrigate their fields with it. ``We've warned them, but they say they will be dying of starvation while we continue to worry about the ducks,'' says Roberto Avina Carlin, a local environmental activist.

MARIA LA BAJA: Preying on Victims Colombians are heartsick over the plight of nine-year-old Erika Delgado, the sole survivor of a plane crash that took the lives of 51 people, including her mother, father and younger brother, outside Cartagena on Jan. 11. Suffering from fractures and pneumonia, the grief-stricken child has begun to recall the painful details of the accident. Probably pushed from the plane by her mother after it struck the ground and split apart, she landed in a bed of algae and water lilies. Then, according to Erika, someone approached, ignored her cries for help but ripped a gold necklace from her neck and ran away. Witnesses say scavengers also looted the bodies of other passengers. Erika has issued a plea for the return of the necklace, which she says is the only memento of her father. Said one resident, Georgina Santamaria: ``God saved the girl, and he will punish the people who robbed her and the rest of the victims.''

EVREUX: Loose Canon While millions gathered in Manila to greet the Pope on Jan. 15, thousands marched in cities throughout France to protest the Vatican's dismissal of Jacques Gaillot, 59, as bishop of this Normandy city. Gaillot's views diverge dramatically from those of the church's hierarchy: he endorses the use of condoms to prevent AIDS, urges tolerance of homosexuality, advocates the ordination of married men and lends his voice to local leftist causes. The so-called Red Cleric has aired his views in such venues as the flesh review Lui and a gay magazine. Said an Evreux protester: ``The church needs people [like Gaillot] who follow their faith, speak about their beliefs and move the institution ahead.'' The ouster did little to silence the outspoken bishop, who joined a Paris demonstration by a group of homeless people demanding benefits. Said Gaillot: ``I'm not ready to shut up.''

STOCKHOLM: Gift Horses Swedes are upset over the death of three Thoroughbred Arabian horses--victims, they say, of bureaucratic intransigence. The animals were an official present to Sweden from the chief of Pakistan's armed forces. Because Swedish law prohibits the direct import of horses from Asia, arrangements had been made to quarantine the animals in Estonia for six months. While the horses were in transit, Estonia changed its mind, and the animals were flown instead to Stockholm, where the Agriculture Ministry ordered them destroyed. ``It is awful,'' said a Stockholm resident. ``Imagine killing such beautiful living creatures for no reason at all.''