Democratic messenger., 1888-03-31
BIRD OF THE STEPPE.
NoW THE 6usTAHD IS TAKEN BY
RUSSIAN HUNTERS.

Peculiar Habits or Cunning Member Of
the ostrich Famiiy-ihc Strange pisa-
biiity which Renders It M Easy Cap.
tive-iieipicss Victims.
The iracawa-as Russians call the h,,star,i
lis a true bird Of the sirpic. High grounds
have no attractions for il, and so lon. ms the
weather IL orcn it scori,s the shelter of reed
and underwood, camping oIt, like n vcri,able
nonah, on the bare st"ppc, AMI ncstin. in
tho open, where il can find plenty OF grass:
OF which, by the way, it can eat enormous
quantities. Towards the middle of Noven.
Der u :'rcsit proportion oi the birds migrate
and dc not return unit! tho end OF March:
but large numbers remain bchini a,id winter
In the more southcrly parts Of l;ussia, in the
region stretching from the Dncistcr and
Dneiicr right away 10 the Don and even the
Cral. Why 50 many Of the birds should re-
sist the migratory instinct when their fcl.
lows wing their way to warmer countries. Is
u question which ornitho;o.;is;s have yet to
settle
Bistards arc not grcgarious birds. Rarely
are more than ten or twelve Of them to he
founi in any ono locality. On the other hand,
the creature Is neither quarrclsnmc nor com
Etivc: IL is not given To- fighting at pairiu.:
time ns other fowls are. Moreover. IL Ii an
extremely cunning bird, and knows aiEios, to
nicely how far n fowlins piece will carry.
y farmer and farmers wagon may come
within dozen feet of Its nost, and il Will
take no notice of either Let n sportsman
show himself IN tho distance, and il is ont Of
range in an instant. There arc ordinarily
only two WAYS Of bringing; down your bird.
One Is tn hide In a hay wagon and drive
within ran. @; the otlar {" obtain a Iipc
made out "f the gris;ly windpipc uf an ok,
lie down in the long grass. and initiate tho
call Of n hen h,sS;ari Tile male i n very
uxor!nus creature, AID caiiio: r,,,st tho cry
al its mate
In winter The bird, are !ounl associated in
larger nainh0rS-aS many Gs eighty or IA !,;,n-
drcd together. hut this does no, nriSe from
any desire for companion>hip, nor have the
fowls any common purI'so 10 serve in 81
asociatins. II i,''r" 20 The simple fact tiIat
the area within wl!.ch foo-l is To iSe had la.-
comes more and uIos' circumari,,el ns the
weather gets colder. Aud j; Is To lie observed
that the parties co.n,asin: tl.c Cock never
minslc. II from any cause such u body.
eighty or u hundred s,i org. bc disturbed. il
viii instantly break III iniu three or four dis
tnct troois, in which every individual ni,-
l'cirs To know 81 iiicc. II. a;.ain, one Of
these smaller div i.iu.ss of twcat. or thirty
Ia pursuc,!, the Li.,!s will separate into par.
tics of ten ar t',e.NO. each hatch making or
III different t..rection.
4 sTnANGE DISABILITY.
In ordinary winter weather the birds take
shelter beneath the Eear,st underwood or
brush, AMI at suca time, the hunter may
look in vain for the bastard. Eut with IN
exceptionally strong frost. ora col! s,la,, last
iaS more ;.an a coa,!a IT tlayS. comes iic
s."ri.i':1n's .. '..urtuhiiy. Thea tho poor
creature fails ~ easy prey % is cncm,c',. for
~ Sich times IL il subject 10 q strange ,.sa-
hllity. Tine fca;sc.,s uf H. wines frpcsn. a
covering OF ice forms over them, aud The
bird is unable 10 rise. DIring the night the
heavy Engr ir'>t tliat prevails during cxce;,-
tionally cold weather IN Russia settles ON tud
IA tie w.Gs; feathers, l,aGius them together.
In this condition the bird seeks the oIr.u. and
passes its beak through the frozen pinions 10
fr," them from the ice. But il tho heavy
frnS. continue NJ ht and n day, or the bird
hc prevented from leaving tho brush 10 free
ITSELF from the incuiHhrancr, all is over with
u. The icc crystals slill form upon nil over
power its wihes; the bird sinks from over
fatigue and co!l, Hnl tho fox anJ wolf, al.
Ways on the watch for This opportunity, find
the bastard M ca,., r,,y.
Aware o: this, tho huS;arl hunters know
exactly what 10 do uE,i when to look for
their quarry. When an unusually severe
slsH "l cold s';s in, or very keen hoar
frost Lists more than u day or 50, they mako
their preparations Horses are carefully
rough sic.i, for the sort is pdrsucd on horse.
back, and the ground /, as smooth and
slippery as n piece Ol i,r. Then IN the morn.
ins, not too early, I'll" larty-four, five or
six strong--siarta Each one goes armed
with whip having n stout handle and a
couple Of hsSOcs; firearms are not needed.
The most promising feeding grounds in tho
ncishborhood arc, Of courS,,, known 10 the
sportsnei, and they make for the cover
nearest IL these i'lacos. Now they beat the
underwood AMI brush. h.lloOing and crack.
ing their whips. The frightened birds rush
out and try 10 make for the open. But the
weight Of their frozen wings presses them
down; the feathers arc covered with ice;
they can neither rise nor run. They ins,
waddlc here and there in helpless un,.ainly
fashion. Crnck! crack! 20 tho whiIN; ana
thn birds nearest the hurcnlen fall ri.ht aud
left, instantly killed by ,lcxicrous blow on
the head with the whip stock. uut ny the
laSsos, and more distant birds arr struggling
In the moose. Where four, five or six rcrsoil,
take part in such hunt, few minutes SUI
Zee 10 dispatch fairly large nG.alcr of bus
tar,is; and then move Is made To- fresh
ground.
The bus;ard, it Is curious 10 note, is the
only bird of the steps that is liable to this
freezing of tho rinioa feathers IA s'Ycrr
weather; but duck, arc often iound oa the
larger rivers frozen Ia the Ice ly their logs
~. James Gazette.