The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1886-02-26
CALIFORNIA oSTRIcure-
Characteristics of the Birds-Hov
Are Corraled and Pluckas

characteristics Of the Birds-Hov ~,
Are Corraled and Plucked.
The sight of dog is suilicie,.
frighten an ostrich badly. At nv
vision, if permitted so to do, the ost,;.s ~
in the corrals would immediatsl.
speeding over the sandy plain. thro,.. !
waste of tall wild sunnowers, at . 8.
which would astonish a horse.t,,;s 90
DR.. Sketchley has three DOGS =, :.
farm, but they are all kept behind =,
buildings out of sight of the =
triches. When a keeper
proaches them to annoy A.s
they emit kissing noise like co0s.
and try to bite the intruder. Thew ~.
no strength in their bills, however -
are harmless unless they get chance ~ :
kick. Unlike the emu, which is eysS
tied often as an African ostrich ~.
have but one toe on each foot. Tb;s3
a terrible weapon. The bird kicks 4.
ward. The force is shown by the !.
plot of one bird, which kicked a sso-.
board on the side of its corral and broi.
it in two at one blow The toe is MIN.
ed and will cut like a knife. N
bird which was killed with one liz
had its breast laid open with an ucav
wound. OF the young birds all are ps;.
fectly shaped, except one which has
club foot and which walks on the bs.I
of the dubbed foot, the toe turning m
The gait of even this bird is elastic. a
the birds walk precisely after the fash;c,
adopted by many young ladies in s..
Francisco of late, whose gait may thern
fore, perhaps, be correctly described 4
the future as the "ostrich walk kh
as if the birds stepped on hot gridirous
The feet are taken briskly up and raise3
high and the body and head osciIlate
This style was learned in South ARR,
and not in San Francisco, and is as ~
as the race of desert birds.
Silly fear and feroeity are the char,e.
teristics of ostriches everywhere. Sons
are more ill-tempered, but all are dsn.
gerous if not approached with care. M
method has been discovered by Will
they can be p,Ccked except that of draw.
ing a stocking over the head, leaving :
hole that the bird may breathe. To Is
this the bird IS lured close u
the fence of the corral by delicacy like
corn, and is then seized by the meek.
Just rs soon as it is hooded in this WAY
it is comparatively helpless. for it viii
not kick unless it can see what it u
kicking at. One way to pluck then
is to have a small corral the back
Of which is movable BY pushing tn
up they could be pinioned. The festh-
ers are taken from the breast, wings and
tail, all above the dreaded kicking app,
ratus. At present the ostrich keepen
press upon the bird from behind, and =
ong as they keep behind they are saIs.
The man who plucks proceeds with d.
patch. An adult bird is plucked every
even months, and fields about twenty
i've long feathers and several ..tipa
The tips are taken from the wings In
Gathers on the back are left for the pro
ection of the bird During this pluck
ng operation men have been kicke1
y the birds, but not to y
lurt. Had the birds had 4 fir
Onward kick, the result coul1
ardly have been other than fatal to d.
erson kicked. The young ostrieA
Thich for some time went about on o.
1ooden and one natural leg was injurs1
trough fear. The boards on the corral
'ere outside of the posts The bird W.
,ightened at something and ran againa
post. something which could not have
cen foreseen, and one leg was brokoA
wooden leg was made, or a sort Of (
tilt, to take the place of this, but after
little the bird died. 1t was an objed
interest to all visitors.-San Franr
SEQ Bulletin.