The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1880-06-16
A Strange Bird.

An interesting story respecting the
habits, under peculiar circumstances,
of the chapparal cock commonly known
rs the "road runner" is related by a
California lady, who takes pleasure in
reproducing any inter, sting matter re.
garding the natural beauties of her ma
tive State: 1t appears that a family
named Davies, being engaged in olive
culture. occupied the "Old Mission
at San Diego, around which is a dense
growth of cactus, passing through
which, one day, Mr.. Davies heard
strange noise resembling the sound
made by a pair of pigeons billing and
cooling, winding up with a succession of
short, quick, jerky notes. thus per-
root per-rootl per-rootl The listener
searched until he discovered the cause
of his surprise, which was a nest of
four young birds of the species Geococ-
cyG Californianus. He took them
home, and succeeded easily in raising
them in a coop, like chickens, the old
ones feeding them. Their beautiful
plumage soon attracted the attention
Of a number of visitors to the Old Mis-
sion.
The birds were finally released, but
they regularly returned at night to the
coop and fingered around, becoming
satisfied habitues of the barnyard. Two
OF them died. The two remaining
fought until one vanquished the other,
which for while repaired to the cactus,
but returned with the nest-making sea-
son. In the meantime the sole remain
ing bird had become SO selfish in its
attachment to Miss Davies that it be-
came a nuisance to the household. 1t
would allow no living thing near her.
showing its jealousy by darting fiercely
at the object of its hatred, pecking it
iuriously with its sharp bill, whether
cat, dog or child, oftentimes drawing
blood, alter which it would retire satis-
fled. For its own dainty consumption
it wJuld bring in beetles, bugs, spiders,
and when anything larger was captured
-Ior instance, a lizard or small snake
it would fly to it's mistress, strut
around her until noticed and petted for
its enterprise, during which it COOS
like a parrot whose feathers are being
rubbed down. With the returned mate
it began nest on a small table by the
window in the young lady's room. The
nest-a most uncomfortable affair, about
the depth of a -plate-was made of
large, rough sticks, some of them about
ten inches long, which they brought
and laid on the outside of the window
Sill, IL TIC WlnuOW ClOocu, IOl
the occupant of the room 10 add to the
nest, which she faithfully did, and the
nest was soon completed, the inner
lining being dry grass and straw. But
one egg was laid in this rude nest in its
present location, inasmuch as the male
one day decided the fate of +" household
and home" by bringing TO his mate
large gopher snake, which twirled itself
around his beak more than half alive,
whereupon, with a peculiar nervous
sensation, the lady Immediately re-
moved their lodging to the "cold
ground among the cactus, where the
birds Matched a promising brood, and
again brought them to the house for
food like chickens. The young birds
are much like young turkeys, and at
full size are about as large as half
grown turkey hens. The road runner"
particularly mentioned never forgot its
attachment 10 Miss Davies, and would
follow her everywhere alter its chicks
were grown; they only parted when
the family let the country, leaving the
birds behind, which they now regret
San Francisco Bulletin.