The Lambertville record., 1888-03-07
BIRD OF THE STEPPE.
HOW THE BUsTARD is TAKEN BY
RUSSIAN HUNTERS.

Peculiar Habits of Canning Member of
the Ostrich FamiIy-The Strange Disa-
biiity Which Renders 1t an Easy Cap
tive--IelpIess Victims.
The draehwa-as Russians call the bustard
lis true bird of the steppe High grounds
have no attractions for it, and so long as the
weather is open it scorns the shelter of reed
and underwood, camping out, like a veritable
nomad, ON the bare steppe, and nesting in
the open where it can find plenty of grass;
OF which, by the way, it can cat enormous
quantities. Towards the middle of Novem-
Der great proportion of the birds migrate
and do not return until the end of March;
but large numbers remain behind and winter
III the more southerly parts of Russia, in the
region stretching from the Dneister and
Dneiper right away to the Don and even the
Ural. Why so many of the birds should re-
sist the migratory instinct when their fell
lows wing their way to warmer countries. il
question which ornithologists have vet to
settle
Bustards are not gregarious birds. Rarely
are more than ten or twelve of them to be
found in any one locality On the other hand.
the creature is neither quarrelsome nor com.
bative; it is not given TO fighting at pairing
time us other fowls are. Moreover, it is an
extremely cunning bird, and knows almost TO
nicety how far a fowling piece will carry.
A farmer and a farmers wagon may come
within a dozen feet of its nest, and it will
take no notice of either. Let a sportsman
show himself in the distance, and 1t is out of
range in an instant There are ordinarily
only two ways of bringing down your bird.
One is to hide in hay wagon and drive
within range the other to obtain a pipe
made out of the gristly windpipe of an OK.
lie down in the long grass, and initiate the
call of a hen bustard. The male is a very
uxorious creature, and cannot resist the cry
of its mate.
In winter the birds are found associated in
larger nurnbers--as many as eighty or a hun
dred together. But this does not arise from
any desire for companionship, nor have the
fowls any common purpose to serve in SO
assoeiating. 1t is due to the simple fact that
the area within which food Is to be had be-
comes more and more eircumscribed as the
weather gets colder. And it is to be observed
that the parties composing the flock never
mingle. III from any cause such a body.
eighty or hundred strong, be disturbed, it
will instantly break up into three or four dis
tinct troops, in which every individual APP
pears to know its place. II, again, one of
these smaller divisions of twenty or thirty
be pursued, the birds will separate into par
ties of ten or twelve, each batch making off
in different direction.
A STRANGE DISABILITY.
In ordinary winter weather the birds take
shelter beneath the nearest underwood or
brush, and at such times the hunter NAV
loos in vain for the bustard But with an
exceptionally strong frost, or a cold snap last
ing more than a couple of days, comes the
sportsman's opportunity. Then the poor
creature falls an easy prey to its enomies for
at such times it is subject to a strange disa-
bility The feathers of its wings freeze, a
covering of ice forms over them, and the
bird is unable to rise. During the night the
heavy hoar frost that prevails during excep-
tionally cold weather in Russia settles on and
In the wing feathers, binding them together.
In this condition the bird seeks the 0IriI, anu
passes its beal through the frozen pinions 10
free them from the ice. But II the heavy
frost continue night and day, or the bird
be prevented from leaving the brush to free
itself from the incumbrance, all is over with
1t. The ice crystals still form upon and over
power its wings the bird sinks from over
fatigue and cold, and the fox and wolf, al
ways ON the watch for this opportunity, find |
the bustard an easy prey.
Aware of this, the bustard hunters know |
exactly what to do and when to look for |
their quarry. When an unusually severe |
spell Of cold sets in, or very keen hoar |
frost lasts more than a day or so, they make |
their preparations Horses are carefully |
rough shod, for the sport is pursued on horse
back, and the ground is as smooth and |
slippery as piece of ice. Then In the morn