Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1886-06-18

THE CALIFORNIA ROAD.
RUNNER.

A very singular and vet a very little
known bird is the r0adrunner chapar.
raj cock, or, as il il known in Mexico
and the Spanish sections of the United
States. the paisano.
II belongs 70 the cuckoo family. but
has mono Of the bad habits by which the
European cuckoo is best known. II is 4
shy bird, but is not by any means an
unfamiliar object in the southwestern
portions of the United States and in
Mexico. Sometimes il wandcrs up into
middle California, but not often, seem-
ing to prefer the moro deserted. hotter,
and sander parts of southern California
ana from there stretching its habitat as
far east as middle Texas.
lt IS not by any means a brilliantly
coiorcd bird, although some of its hues
are very beautiful The prevailing color
OF the roadrunner is olive green, which
is marked with brown and white. The
top of the head is black blue, and is fur
nished with an erectile crest. The
eyes are surrounded by line of bare
skin.
It is not large bird. being seldom
twenty-four inches long, with tail TAX
ing more than half that length. The
tail, indeed, is the most striking feature
ofthe bird, being not only so very long.
but seemingly endowed witlNthe Gift of
perpetual motion. since it is never still,
but bobs up and down, and sidewise,
too, into every possible angle, and al.
most necessarily.
But while its tail is most striking. its
legs are most remarkable, being not
ctr I.v.A .G..1T.
muscular How muscular nobody would
Dc 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 harcs
with brace Of very fine hounds. Going
over q long stretch of sandy plain, re-
heved only by pillars and clusters of
cactus, the Mexican called the attention
OF his guest to an alert, comical-lookino
bird some distance from them.
With the remark that the gentleman
should see some rare coursing, the Mexi-
can slipped the leashes of the strainino
hounds, which sprang off as if used to
the sport, and darted after the bird. For
moment it seemed to the stranger a
very poor use to put the dogs to, but
ne was not long in changing his
mind.
Instead Of taking wing, the bird tilted
its long tail straight up into the air in a
saucily defiant way, and started off on a
run in direct line ahead. It seemed
an incredible thing that the slender
dogs. with their space devouring bounds,
should not at once overtake the little
bird; but SO it was. The legs of the
paisano moved with marvellous rapidity,
and enabled it to keep the hounds at
their distance for very long time, be-
ing finally overtaken only after one of
gamest races ever witnessed by the visit
ing sportsman,
The TOadrunneTy however, serves q
better purpose in life than being run
down by hounds. Cassin mentions a
most singular circumstance among the
peculiarities of the bird. It seems 10
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 a most diabolical way
Of comprising its death. Finding the
snake asleep, it at once seeks out the
spiniest Of small cacti, the prickly pear.
and, with infinite pains and quietness.
carries the leaves, which it breaks off.
and puts them in circle around the
slumbering snake When it has made
sufficient wall about the obiecs Of MI
this care, it rouses its victim with sud.
den peck OF its sharp beak, and then
quickly retires to let the snake work out
its own destruction, q thing it eventual
y does in a way that ought to CRAFTY
the roadrunncr if it have any sense of
hunor. Any one watching it would sav
it was expressing the liveliest emotion
with its constantly and grotesquely mov-
ing tail.
The first impulse and act of the as
saulted snake is to coil for a dart: its
next to move away. It quickly realizes
that 1t 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 Il back.
The angry snake. with small wisdom.
attempts to retaliate by fastening its
fangs into the offending cactus. The
spines I'll its mouth.
Angrier still, it again and again as
saults the prickly wall. until, quite be-
side itself with rage, it seems TO lose IFS
wits completely, and, writhing and
twisting horribly, buries Its enyenomed
fangs into its own body, dying finally
from its self-inflicted wounds. After the
catastrophe. the r0adrunner indulges il
few gratiiied fIirts Of its long tail and
goes of, perchance TO find its reward IN
being run down by the hounds set on by
men. John n. Loryell. in Scientific
american.