The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1886-04-07
THE CALIFORNIA ROAD.
RUNNER,

A very singular and yeta very little
known bird is tho roadrunncr chapar-
raj cock, or, as it is known in Mexico
and the Spanish sections of the United
States, the paisano.
IL belongs to the cuckoo family. but
has none of the bad habits by which the
European cuckoo is best known. 1t is q
shy bird, but is not by any means an
unfamiliar object in the southwestern
portions of the United States and in
Mexico. Sometimes it wandcrs up into
middle California, but not often, seem
ing to prefer the more deserted, hotter,
and sander parts of southern California
and from there stretching its habitat as
far east as middle Texas
II is not by any means n brilliantly
colorcd bird, although some of its hucs
are very beautiful. The prevailing color
of the roadrunncr is olive green, which
is marked with brown and white The
top of the head is black bne, and is fur
nishcd with an crcctilc crest. The
eyes are surrounded by " line of bare
skin.
1t is not n large bird, being seldom
twcnty-four inches long, with tail tax
ing more than half that length The
tail, indeed, is the most striking feature
of the bird, being not only so very long,
but seemingly endowed with the gift of
perpetual motion, since it is never still,
but bobs up and down, and sidewisc,
too. into every possible angle, and al
most necessarily.
But while its tail is most striking, its
legs arc most remarkable, being not
only long and stout, but wonderfully
muscular How muscular nobody would
be able to imagine who had not put
them to the test.
a traveller in Mexico tells of going
out with his ranchcro host to hunt harcs
with brace of very fine hounds. Going
over long stretch of sandy plain, re-
llcved only by pillars and clusters of
cactus, the Mexican called the attention
OF his guest to an alert, comical-looking
bird some distance from them.
With the remark that the gentleman
should see some rare cOursing, the McXi-
can slipped the lcashcs of the straininp
hounds, which sprang off as if used to
the sport, and dartcd after the bird. For
moment it seemed to the stranger q
very poor use TO put the dogs to, but
he was not long in changing his
mind.
Instead of taking wing, the bird tilted
its long tail straight up into the air in n
saucily defiant way, and started OFT on a
run in 4 direct line ahead Ii seemed
an incredible thing that the slender
dogs, with their space dcvouring bounds,
should not ut once ovcrtakc the little
bird; but SO it was, The legs of the
paisano moved with marvellous rapiditv,
and enabled it to keep the hounds ut
their distance for II very long time, be-
ing finally ovcrtakcn only after one of
gamest races ever witnessed by the visit
ing sportsman.
The roadrunncr, however, serves a
better purpose in life than being run
down by hounds. Cassin mentions q
most singular circumstance among the
peculiaritics of the bird. 1t seems to
have mortal hatred of rattlesnakes,
and no sooner sees one of these reptiles
than it sets about in what, to the snake.
might well seem n most diabolcal way
of comprising its death. Finding tho
snake asleep, it ut once seeks out the
spinicst of small cact, the prickly pear,
and, with infinite pains and Quetncss,
carries the leaves, which it breaks of,
ana puts them in q circle around the
slumbcring snake. When it has made
sufficient wall about the object of all
tilo CplC, IL louScS ltS NlCtlnl WITH q sud-
den peck of its sharp bcak, and then
quickly rctires to let the snake work out
its own destruction, thing it eventual
ly does in way that ought to cratify
the roadrinncr if it have any sense OF
humor. Any one watching it would say
it was expressing the livclicst emotion
with its constantly and grotcsqucly NOV
ing tail.
The first impulse and act of the as
saultcd snake is to coil for dart; its
next to move away. 1t quickly realizes
that it is hcmmcd in, in IL circle, and
finally makes Il rash attempt TO glide
over the obstruction. The myriad Of
tiny needles prick 1t and drive 1t back.
The angry snake. with small wisdom,
attempts to rctaliatc by fastening its
fangs into the offending cactus. The
spincs fill its mouth.
Angricr still. it again and again as
saults the prickly wall, until, quite be-
side itself with rage, it seems to lose its
wits completely, and, writhing and
twisting horribly, burics its envenomcd
fangs into its own body, dying finally
from its self-iniictcd wounds. After the
catastrophe, the roadrunncr INDUCES in
few gratiiicd ilirts of its long tail and
goes of, perchancc to find its reward in
being run down by the hounds sot on by
men John Il. CorycU, in Scientific
Amfricdn.