National Republican., 1883-07-04
A Visit to the Only Home Of the Real Big
Birds in North America.
The Ten Couples at the Feather Rancho
in Southern California.
Their Curious HabitS--The Force Of Their Kick Com.
pared With That Of the Mule.
Curious Experience OF Mon who At
tempted TO Capture One OF Them.
Specfal Letter.


leaving home. Those of your readers who gC
abroad, and those who do not, may find Il
economy of time and money to place their i'm.
aginative magazines in my keeping for few
minutes. OF course there is risk in all things
human, except taxes; but then, think of some
things you are insured against in this trip.
No broken trunks, nor broken meals, nor
broken sleep, nor broken purse, nor broken
rails, nor broken necks. Possibly some o.
your earliest and most positive ideas of tn,
bird may be smashed to pieces, and a volley
of natural history will be flung at my era
mum, but they will have lost their force here
IN the very presence of the biggest biped that
tresds our footstool at the present time A
lew months since ten couple of the aforesaid
two-legged and two-toed birds landed on
our hOspitable shores at New York,
Keeping in view the idea of tariff for rev.
enue only" as levied by the railways, these
infant Industries were allowed to travel in a
public cattle car across our domain for high
tariff OF y 200, and being obliged to change
cars at Chicago, Omaha, aud Ogden. six
hundred and forty acres have been leased by
the company for the experiment. six miles
from this Teuotonic colony and two miles
from Costa station, on the Santa Ana railway.
Or. sketchly, an Englishman, who brought
the birds over from southern Africa, has been
with them constantly as superintendent and
mas large interest in them. The cost {
each is scheduled in the companys books at
$1,000, but it is known to have been few
hundred above that sum when landed here.
All are kept now in pens at little expense, a
male and female in each pen for breeding pur-
poses. The winters here are little warmer
and the summers little cooler than in their
native land They ore about six miles from
the Pacific, where there is good grazing land,
worth about $40 an acre. They are doing as
well as at home, except like other bridal
parties, they have lost the docility for which
they were noted at home.
The keeper charges it to the electric air of
the Pacific coast. One of the birds (the cock
of the walk) has become so acclimated that
he has given his beloved rest, the first of her
tribe to enrich American soil They do not
light with their wings, beak, or spurs, as do
some of the feathery kind, but like that won
derful songster the mule, with their feet. 1t
is well known in science (thanks to a few
DOCK agents. what the sensation is to be
kicked by mule, but no one who has been
fairly impressed by the softness of an ostrich
foot has lived TO tell the tale. As in human
nature, so in ostrich nature, the female rarely
gets angry. When she cannot run away, and
has none of the sterner sex to defend her,
she Will strike for liberty or die. The like.
ness to human nature does not follow SO
closely in the male bird. He is tho orna.
mental branch of the family, and when it is
oeslred TO start new branch, he makes the
nest, asks his companion to come aud exam
inc it; if, after putting their heads together,
the mistress of the house is satisfied (she
usually is), she furnishes it with a dozen
or SO OF four pound eggs, five to six inches
In diameter, each equivalent to two dozen of
hens eggs, and then allows her male helpmate
to do the principal part of the setting. Think
OF that, q, man, and then say which ought to
hide their heads in the dust! He sits all
night willingly, but woe to that hen that does
not come on time to relieve him for breakfast
He must, of course, strut little during the
day, and is always "at the lodge" at night
Forty days and forty nights with three days
OF grace, he maintains "squatter sovereignty"
until his posterity begin to make q stir in
their environments, and then he helps them
pick their way out into this beautiful world
of evolution. This is the way they do it in
their wild state; but here, us in all we'll regu-
lated farms in Africa, Australia, South
America, and elsewhere, tho incubator pre-
vents this exemplary display of manhood
When Matched, the young ostriches are about
the size OF "A common hen, and about the color
OF young goose. At maturity the male is
black, with white tips on the wings and tail,
which alone constitute his stock in trade,
amounting in Africa to Several millions of
dollars. The female is gray, with the usual
white tips, but not SO profuse as the male.
The birds here are from six to ten years of |
age, and are larger and more life-like than |
the ostriches hauled about with shows and in
geological gardens. The brood Just out will |
be pastured in an alfalfa patch, with herder.
Counting the chickens before thew were |
Matched, few were sold some weeks ago. for |
$500 each Other companies are soon to en- |
Dark In TINS new enterprise, and there is room |
for a hundred thousand more. All the veg |
etables and lime aud gravel they need can be |
had IN abundance in southern California
lhey drink very little water, sometimes 60
haul
well 800 feet deep, on this farm, costing about
as many dollars flowing constantly, supplies
all the water needed for irrigating sixty
acres of alfalfa, that yields six good crops
yearly, Approaching the farm, in all direc-
tons, are seen notices upon poles declaring
That all dogs found on the premises will be
shot" Disobedience to this order has resulted
in the demise of several pet CANNES, and the
loss OF temper of theirpretty companions. The
story that pair of birds had escaped from the
farm, and after killing a few men and a lot of
school children had fled into the wlds of Ari-
Zona to populate the desert tracts, is far from
the truth 1t started probably from the fol-
lowing instructive aud amusing incident:
Several nights ago this feathery flock became
frightened by coyote, or some wild animal
and OF course no fence could hold them. They
soon kicked it to pieces, and one of them
: took leg bail and vamoosed the ranche,p
one OF the farm hands happened TO be a few
D. | 1
quaintance fleeing in the wrong direction.
FATHER and son quickly mounted their horses I
ana joined the chase in Gilpin style They ,
overlook the bird in the course of time aud ,
began tine capture, but soon discovered that ,
American eagle style, the bird was master of
the situation. The horses became frightened
and refused to continue the contest. A fresh
horse was procured. "To the victor belongs
the spols." "Neni, vidi, vici," which, being
is: The ostrich turned on his
,aptors, and horse and rider were nut 10 .
light The horse did his best in going home
on full run, but the bird 1lled 7
up his spare time by patting the horses {
1ank vigorously. This had tendency to a
make the horse beat his best record. None too /
ast for the rider, however, for he was exceed |
ngly anxious TO make a home run without G
getting out on foul strike He soon saw his
mother with uplifted hands at the door, and I
Perrys victorious dispatch 1--WE q
AVE met the enemy and they are ours" Z
Where, oh where, was our special artist? Y
Ihink what thy craft has lost by thy absence o
The trumvirate entered the coral together, /
ND the chick was safe within the barn. DIR. G
,ketchley was sent fer TO complete the ioh d
ordinarily three foot fence is enough TO coon
hem. They are very tame and easy to care a
or until about four years old Then it Is they o
egin to look for mates and the war begins Y
tere again they differ from most bipeds, for v
hey do mp their quarreling before they begin d
@ live together for life, aud ever after live in
eace: but woe 10 the hen that does not re- f
urn the proffered affections.
She will be kicked around until she does