Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1886-04-09
The California Roadrunner.

A very singular and vet very little
known bird is the roadruuner, chaparral
cock, or, as it Is known in Mexico and
the Spanish sections of the United States,
the paisano. 1t belongs to the cuckoo
family, but has none of the bad habits
by which the European cuckoo is best
known. Ii is shy bird, but is not by
any means an unfamiliar object in the
southwestern portions Of the United
States and in Mexico. Sometimes it
wanders up into middle California, but
not often, seeming 10 prefer the more
deserted, hotter and sander parts Of
southern California, and from there
stretching his habitat as far east as mid
die Texas. Ii is not by any means q
brilliantly colored bird, though some of
its hues are very beautiful. The pre-
vailing color Of the roadrunner is olive
green, which is marked with brown and
white. The top of the head is black
blue, and is furnished with an erectible
crest. The eyes are surrounded by
line of bare skin. Ii is not large bird,
being seldom twenty-four inches long,
with tail taking more than half OF
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 mo-
ton, since il is never still but bobs up
and down, and sidewise, too, into every
possible angle, and almost incessantly.
But while its tail is most striking, its
legs are most remarkable, being not only
long and stout, but wonderfully mus
cular. 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 ranchero host TO
hunt hares with brace of very fne
hounds. Going over long stretch Of
sandy plain, relieved only by pillars
and clusters OF cactus. the Mexican
called the attention of his guest to an
alert, comical looking bird, some dis
tance from them. With the remark that
the gentleman should see some rare
coursing, the Mexican slipped the
leashes Of the strainiGg hounds, which
sprang off as if used TO the sport, and
darted after the bird. For the moment
it seemed 10 the stranger very poor
use TO put the dogs 10, but he was noi
long IN changing his miEd. Instead OF
taking wing, the bird tilted its long tail
straight up in the air in a saucily deh-
ant way and started Off Gu run In di-
rect line ahead. Itseemed an incredible
thing that the slender dogs, with their
space devouring bounds, should not at
once oyertake the little bird; but so II
was. The legs of the paisano moved
with marvellous rapidly, and enabled IL
to keep the hounds at their distance for
a very long time, being finally over
taken only after one Of the gamest races
ever witnessed by tie visiting sports
man. The roadruLner, however, serves
a better purpose in life than being run
down by hounds. Cassin mentions
most singular circumstance among the
peculiarities of the bird. 1t seems TO
have mortal hatred of rattlesnakes, and
no sooner sees one Of these reptiles than
it sets about ia what, to the snake, might
well seem most diabolical way Of CON-
passing its death. Finding the snake
asleep, il at once seeks out the spiniest
of the small cacti, the prickly pear, and
with infinite pains aud quietness, carries
the leaves, which it breaks of, aud puts
them in circle around the slumbering
snake. When it has made sufficient
wall about the object Of all this care, 1t
rouses its victim with sudden peck OF
its sharp beak, and then quickly retires
to let the snake work out its own de-
struction, thing 1t eventually does In
way that ought to crafty the road
runner if it have any sense OF humor.
ANY one watching 1t would say 1t was
expressing the liveliest emotion with
its constantly and grotesquely moving
tail. The first impulse and act OF the
assaulted snake is to coil for dart; It's
next to move away. 1t quickly realizes
that it is hemmed in, in circle, and
finally makes a rash attempt to glide
over the obstruction. The myriad Of
tiny needles prick it and drive II back.
The angry snake, with small wisdom,
attempts to retaliate by fastening It's
fangs into the offending cactus. The
spines fill It's mouth. Angrier still, 1t
again and again assaults the prickly
wall, until, quite beside itself with rage,
IL seems to loose It's wits completely, and
writhing and twisting horribly, buries
its envenomed fangs into its own body,
dying finally from its self inflicted
wounds. After the catastrophe the
roadrunDer INDUCED 10 few gratified
flirts Of its long tail and goes OF, per-
chance to find It's reward in being run
down by hounds and set on by men,
Scientific American.
He Was Unfortunate.