Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-06-06
The Noble Birds Seen to Disadvantage in
the Menageries, But Wear Look
of Calm Happiness Out Where
They Grow
G " p.,s in MtL,nuk.. San.

the face of an natrioh beat me. i wso sPt |
10 get IT'S expressions, caused BY indigestion
from a dish OF hsrd-boiled door-knobs and
tin fruit cans, mixed up with its soulful
thoughts. The time has been when could
not tell by the expression on the face OF
AN ostrich whether tomato can inside was
its feelings. or ithad been cross
ed in love; bat thanks to Mr.. William Coup,
the great circusman, who has made a lite
study of the ostrich, am enabled to tstbom
the inmost thoughts OF the bird. So 1t was
a Measure to me, as o sort of ostrich scien
list, 10 visit the ostrich farm, where there
ore about fifty OF the birds. found the
same lhouglful expression on the faces OF
the birds but there was also an expression
OF EXTREMIST happiness on each face. They
have been brought from African deserts,
where they had to shirk for living, IN
country where the tin can ia almost un-
known, TO a ranch where all their wants
are provided for In their native land
when an ostrich ID taken with desire to
lay an egg, which happens ss often as The
century plsot blooms With us, say cnce
month, the bird has to hunt place to lay,
and sometimes hundreds of miles are ira
yarsed through shifting sands, through
binding storms, to find place to deposit
the egg, for be it known the ostrich
CANNOT SIT DOWN TO LAY AN EGa,
like the hen of commerce. II there wac
an occasional high board teuce in Africa,
that the brI might deposit On egg on top
O! it: much as the worry Of the poor ostrich
would be saved but they have TO hunt
place where, standing like printer setting
type. they Can hide the egg where anybody
can fad it. The emigrsnt ostrich has much
to be thankful for on arriving here When
an auntie ostrich wants TO lay, the old man
ostrich goes to the blss OF the ostrich ranch
and BY signs and innuendoss, as it were,
tells him that the old lady ostrich desires
an audene with him, aud he at once pro
vides the necessary step ladder or whatev-
er article Of larm machinery she desires for
nest and she goes i'll retirement, while
the old man ostrich stands otf az respect
able distance, or walks around with su III.
up ut ahead -on.sny manostr ths'shoWs
paround here" air, aud he pltsh is thumbs
in bis vest, or under his wings, snd swings
bis coat tail feathers like Pat Rooney. 1t
IS touching sight when the old lady os-
trich returns from the second story nest
the iron seat to q reaper is fsvorite place
Tor them to LAYOUT sho does not csckle
like @ hen that has laid an egg Many
think that the fsm,le ostrich csckles, bat
she don't. She gets off the nest and walks
around the egg three times, gives the Ma
soLSc grand hailing sign of distress goes TO
fence, or q gate. or a wagon box, or what
ever is handy and gives three distinct raps:
the male ostrich, who is hard by, says
who comes thereY at the ssms time eros.
sing his legs like letter K The female
says, "A friend who desires simittsnce to
your noble order" and she curtesies when
ne says,
ANCIENT AND HONORABLE FEMALE,
you have baen tried and found worth two
10 the bush" then he whscks her over the
head with his left wing, in token that he lie
the bose, and they 90 of arm in arm, sing
ing We are dudes" OF course, we who
are familiar with ostriches, have to guess,
to a certain extent, at what they are saying,
bat The language ! have put into their bills
is as near in accordance with their actions
as it is possible for science, in it's presen,
crude state to get. When al oatrich de
sires to sit, to hatch her young, it is an in
teresting time on an ostrich farm. With
hens, when We desire to nn!,ss7ent their ait
80" TX ". taxs them of tbs neat anh 90
them douse in pail OF wafer, or lie
req string to their legs but with the ortricb
it is different. When che announces, either
through t personals in the daily papers,
or OIL erSise, that che desires to sit, the en-
grant Ostrich has got to be allowed to si:,
or she will organize strike snd boycott the
whole human race So her husband goes
to the ostrichnansrian eurgeoo, and he
feels of her pulse and looks a. her tongue,
and if she is in the proper bilious condi'
ton he fixes up a rocking chair with the
proper number OF eggs in, escorts her 10 the
chair, and bows himself away, and for the
proper interval she retires from society. |
with oil its shsms and frivolities, and be |
comes a warm frifn1 OF those eggs Mean.
while the male cstrich goes to parties gnd |
make .hims5It quite fresh all around the
ranch he gets around once day, and
makes known 10 her ssto where he has
been, and perhaps sits onths eggs On hour
or 60 while she goes of ard eats length
of stove-pipe or sonehinges to keep her up
during the irving ordeal. She watches bin
from her neat the best she can during the
mouruful period of Incubation, and shows
plainly that she don tbelsve word be Gays,
though she patiently pIcks strange ostrich
feathers eli bis coswhen he shows up, and
makes no sign excsp. to look at hun in
\ manner thu: hetokens
THAT HIS CONDUCT Is KILLING HER.
But finally she comes Of the rest With
lot OF things that look ss though party OF
old ladies bad dropped their knitting work
With the balls OF cara and nssliss stuck 10
hem. Young os.riches ara tough looking
,ustomers. bu; The mothsris proud Of them
md even the old man o, tica shows lhsl be
eels as though it was the finest liter Of
'ouog ostriches on esr;b, aud be acts as
hough he alone was responsible. In lime
hey grow up, full sizs. aud are ready for
'strich on toast or TO show 70 the pubic o.
lslt dollar head. | have been thus
)AEuCulhE 10 CSbEElOS lbb EbDits u llS % |
rich. because | hsvs felt that many Of my
riends are lsnentsbly ignorant in that re- ,
pect We cannot become too we'll posted
o the habits IF the brute creation. We may q
'ecome ostriches ourselves Iomeime
speaking Of ostriches reminds me Of ssv.
raj things have learned abouf them.
'hs food Of the ostrich, after leaving the
mouth. goes down Oy Einding around the
eek, Ike spiral staircase, with the neck
one Tor the cen,er IL locks strange to zee
n ostrich swallow lamp of dough L.
oes down the th o t shart d g.. e, then
on can zee il 90 round the bsck Of The
eek, under The skin. and then il goes over
be aide Of tie neck. and down in front
nd around again, getting lozer DOM ali
ne time uniil faailg it dissppaa7s from
lew, aud is supposed to be in tie stomach
that the neck OF the bird is
cry long, it must make TOAD quite dizzy
efore it gets down to the grinding machioe
Glow! 1t must give the ostrich a queer
ok when it swallows sn iron kettle, with