Morning journal and courier., 1888-08-13
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BIRTH OF AN OSTRICH.
How the Young Bird Breaks out Of ts
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 [Los Angeles Letter to New Orleans Times We passed along with scarce glance at these sideshows, for we were anxious to face an ostrioh-with stout fence between. We found as we approached that this protective provision was doubly emphasized, for there were two stout wooden railings keeping us at a respectful distance from his majesty, stalking around in n'solitary grandeur or stop ping to gaze at us with a vicious craning of his long, lean neck. There were twenty full grown ostriches, each in separate pen, or rather open space fenced in. They looked about seven feet high, even taller when they suddenly stretched out their necks.
 But O, the gorgeousness of their wings. Great masses of rich, black velvety ostrich plumes, dropping of into a snow white clus- ter at their tips. I wonder that kings do not renounce the traditional ermine and as- sume these more majestic emblems of royal ty. These birds are perfectly bare above the neck aud legs, and though their whole body is covered with rich plumes, the fullest and longest and choicest are gathered from their wings. Twice year they are plueked, aud the annual revenue which they bring to their possessor Is, according to all accounts, quite a little fortune. The finest pair are valued st $500.
 They live on alfalfa, sort of clover (ot which this country produces three or four crops 6 ysar), poHnded oyster shells sn1 corn, their prodieious digestive powers rath- CT snubbed, it seems to me, by this mild diet; perhaps, however, it serves to slacken their deprived propensities, for l was told that only short time before one of the keepers was pecked and bitten to death by the savage onslaught of one of these birds. The ostrich eggs are huge affairs, as large around as 8 quart measure. They lay out in the open field, and just as I was hanging over the fence, wickedly waving my jacket to make the majestic ostrich perform an un- dignifed pirouette, one of the eggs broke open and out popped little ostrich.
 Immediately there was great commotion and everybody rushed breathlessly in our di- rection. The keeper was told the news and came hurrying with sjaoulations of surprise. He vaulted the two fences at the furthest distance from the mother ostrich and made in the direction of the newcomer; but when the mother bird took long strides in his di- rection and manifested lively curiosity as to his purpose, the keeper yaulted again over the nearest fence and disappeared from the scene. It was quite comical to see the old bird with her new born offspring. At first she disdained to notice the little thing, which looked about the size of 8 two months' old chicken, and sought to follow the parental guidance by running few steps and then quite unexpectedly toppling over or turning feeble sommersault. I had quite hateful feelings against the mother bird, who by this time stood praucing before us with her long, beautiful dropping plumes. think she saw by our expressions that we did not approve of such Spartan motherhood, such unnatural calming of the emotions, for she immediate ly turned npon her heel and bestowed @ motherly kiss upon her solitary scion. dChere was thrill of satisfaction along the whole line of spectators, when she finally sat her. self down upon her nest and drew the ugly duckling under shelter of her rarely pln- mRged wings.