Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1883-11-14
THE OSTRICH.
Queer Habits Ofa Peculiar Bird-uow the
Ostrich Is Hunted.

farm, on which there are twenty-one
birds, said to the writer
"They lay eggs every other day.
Age does not affect them. Ihave seen
pair of birds which were 81 years old
and they were just as valuable for
breeding and feather raising as ever.
Were they decrepit? You could not
tell the difference in any way between
them and very much younger birds. l
have known birds 80 years old, a pair,
valued at $1,000. You can see the
chances here. If the birds are in
proper condition expect that we
shall have 600 chickens in a year.
The difficulty in ostrich farming is in
raising the chickens. They catch cold.
But when they are over a month old
they are all right. OStriches have no
disease that ! know Of, and | have had
eight years experience with them
When chicken is months old the
value of its feathers is about SO;
when it is IA months old the value is
between $40 and $50 and when the
bird is between 81 and 4 years old the
value is about $3.50 annually, Sixteen
years ago the business Of ostrich farm
ing was begun; now S40,O0O,OOO are
invested in it,"
An ostrich is apparently about the
most ill-temperod bird in existence.
They never acquire a fondness for any
one They have no particular prefer
ence ordinarily as to mating. They
are always on the lookout to kick some
one, and if the kick has the intended
effect it is pretty sure to be fatal The
| blow is aimed forward, and is accu-
rate. For this reason the person who
pulls the stocking over the ostrich's
head at the time when the feathers are
to be cut must be wary and expert
enced. As Dr. Sketchley walked along
by the corrals, of which there are
about q bakers dozen, the ostriches,
with few exceptions followed along
with an evident desire to get kick at
him. A Chinaman carrying scythe
along by one Of the corrals was at once
an object of provocation to the ostrich
es in that corral and of fear to Dr.
Sketchley. The latter tried to make
the Chinaman understand that there
was danger to the precious birds from
the scythe should they kick through,
The birds, when they found that the
Chinaman was out Of their reach, lay
down in the dust of the corral and,
rocking violently from side to side,
beat their bodies with their heads with
all their available force, which from
the sound seemed to be considerable.
1t was such a sound as might come
from a mufled drum. Having in
dulged in this outbGrst for ile,they
stalked about with that peculiar gait,
which seemed to be their property in
common only with the camel or drOm-
edary; then they again lay in the dust
and repeated the drumming opera
tion. DR.. Sketchley succeeded in catch
ing one by the neck, but did not hold
it. He also put his hand into the
mouth of one to show that it had no
strength in its jaws. Their diet is
mainly alfalfa and barley, with cab
bage, turnips, and potatoes thrown in
as a sort of ostrich dessert. The diet
would alone indicate the lack Of
strength in the jaws. Before they
reach that elimination of anger which
results in the prostration and drum
ming, they emit loud hiss like 4
goose, opening the mouth to such an
extent as to look like a letter V lying
on one side and stretched very wide
apart. The danger is all from the one
toed feet, with the obviously prodigious
muscle of leg and thigh to propel
them.
A striking difference exists between
the corraled and farmed ostriches and
those running over the African deserts,
inasmuch as the latter never fight
DR.. Sketchley hunted for nine months
in the desert. The birds have to be
hunted scientifically. Certain facts
are known, one being that the birds
will always run in semicircle. First
they will run with the wind, that they
may use their wings to help them,
After they get what the sailors call "a
head wind,' they go around the Other
way. They must be run down. One
horse cannot wind them The great
trouble is to keep them in sight. They
will run 40 miles on a stretch. If they
ever get breathing spell they will
get away. The hunter starts out with
fresh horse. a Bushman boy rides
another and leads one AS soon as it
is seen which way the bird will run,
the boy takes his cue and drives 10
where he thinks the hunter will need
the fresh horse. In the meantime the
ostrich singled out for the chase and
the hunter are speeding along like the
wind, the latter straining every nerve
to keep in sight of the bird and the
bird making its most prodigious strides
for freedom. A great deal now de-
pends on the Bushman boys judgment,
in having the fresh horse at the right
place, that no time may be wasted. 1t
Is seldom that the boy makes a mis-
take. The hunter leaps on the fresh
horse and gains on the bird, which,