The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1886-01-28
Califorpis Ostrfci.ss.

The sight Of dog 10 sufficient to
frighten an ostrich badly. At such
vision, II permitted 80 to do, the o.
triches in the corrals would immediate
~ be speeding over the sandy plain.
through waste Of tall Wild sundowers,
at gait that would astonish horse
trainer. DR.. Sketchley has three dogs
on his farm, but they are all kept be-
hind the buildings out Of sight Of the
ostriches. When . keeper approaches
them to annoy them they emit kissing
noise like goose, and try to bite the
intruder. They have no strength in
their bills, however, and are harmless
unless they get chance to kick. I'm
like the emu, which is exhibited often
as an African ostrich, they have but
one toe on each foot. This is terrible
weapon. The bird kicks forward. The
force is shown by the exploit Of
one bird. which kicked stout board
on the side OF its corral and broke it in
two at one blow. The toe is pointed
and will cut like a knife. The bird
which was killed with one kick had its
breast laid open with an ugly wound.
OF the young birds all are perfectly
shaped. except one which has club
foot and which walks on the back Of
the club foot. the toe turning up. The
gait of even this bird is elastic. All
the birds walk precisely after the fash
ion adopted by many young ladies in
San Francisco OF late, whose gait may
therefore, perpaps, be correctly de-
scribcd in the future as the s.ostrich
walk It is As if the birds stepped on
hot gridirons. The feet are taken
briskly up and raised high and the
body and head oscillatc. This style
was learned in South Africa and not in
San Francisco, and is as old a. the race
Of desert birds.
Silly fear and ferocity are the char
acteristics of ostriches everywhere.
Some are more ill-tempered. but all arc
dangerous if not approached with care.
No method has been discovered by
which they can be plucked except that
of drawing q stocking over the head,
leaving hole that the bird may breathe.
To accomplish this the bird is lured
close to the fence of the corral bv q
delicacy like corn, and is then seized
BY the neck. Just as soon rs it is hood.
ed in this way it Is comparatively help
less, for it will not kick unless it car
see what it is kicking at. One way tc
pluck them is to have small corral
the back of which is movable. By
pushing this up they could be pini0ned
The feathers are taken from the breast
wings and tail all above the dreaded
kicking apparatus. At present the
Ostrich keepers press upon the birc
from behind, and as long rs they keep
behind they are safe. The man who
plucks proceeds with dispatch. Al
adult bird is plucked every sever
months, and yields about twenty.fi five
long feathers and several tips" The
tips are taken from the wings. tn,
feathers on the back are left for th.
protection of the bird. During THU
plucking operation men have beer
kicked BY the birds, but not to hurt
Had the birds had . fair forward kick
the result could hardly have been othe
than fatal to the person kicked. Til,
young ostrich which for some tim
went about ON one wooden and on,
natural leg was injured through
fear. The boards on the corral wer,
outside Of the posts. The bird wa
frightened at something and rar
against . post, something which coul,
| not have been fOresecn, and one lei
was broken. A wooden leg was made
| or 4 sort Of a silt. to take the place o.
this, but after little the bird died
1t was an object of interest to all Wis
| itors.-T San Francisco Bulletin.