The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1891-05-29
NET IN THE DESERT.
Some Very Interesting Specimens
OF Animal Llf0.
Peculiarities of the Tarant ulr Hawk-Tiie
Road Runner Of California which
Ereys on EsttIc-si--lscs-IIayln
Iun with scorpion.

We DrOsf)ecltu ali DNtf NlldL llit
geographers call the great American
desert, and ! think its a pretty good
country. Some people might think il
lonesome, but that's all a matter Of
taste. II suits me because there i
plenty Of elbow room It, a trihc dry.
| admit. and sometimes 4 man viii get
pretty thirsty ard think himself in big
luck to find a pool of water that smells
50 that he has to hold his nose WHOM he
drinks it, but one can get used 10 that.
And then il isn't so lonesome after you
get acquainted and know where to look
for neighbors.
There plenty or life on the desert
not crowds Of human life. rushing
and tearing about like crazy ants, and
keeping up din day and night that i
enough 20 drive the whole world mad
but interesting. sensible, natural life,
full Of comedy. tra"edy and even hui
NOR If YOU feel lonesome yOu can
find company anywhere 10y turning up
a rock or looking undCr the sage bush.
There's no lack # inEcniou, curious
little creatures whose ways are worth
studying.
Take the tarantula hawk, for ex-
ample.
That's an insect built something
like a wasp, or, perhaps, more like "A
devils daEning needle and IL flies
about looking for tarantulas Just as q
hawk soars about kasping his ye
peeled for gophers and such provcnder.
When the hawk secs a tarantUla he
goes Tor the big spider, swoop- down
upon him. stinrs him and gels away
like Il fash
The tarantula knows that his only
show l. TO get under cover. and hc legs
Il home in frantic haste. It's fun to
See. the big, hairy-icgg,d bully duck his
head and paddle 5G through the sand
as IL the devil was after him-and the
devil il after HIM. sure enough. II the
tarantula i near his house he may es-
cape by getting TO it, tumbling in head
first and shuttiag the door tight. but
he's Ct 10 hustle for it, because Little
Jack tho Giant Killer Is q hustler him
self ai-'. ,-ccps ja5&.=g away at every
Jump. Ii tac hairy ogre gets caught
ont great way from his castle his name
Is Dennis. and ne knows IL.
He iloPs over upon his back TO make
a fight, and if he could get hold of the
hawk in that position ne would make
short werll of the little chap. but the
hawk secs the trick, and Just keeps
HEa444Al8 slAOAlliA anu u s4AtAl4AE 4tE III
opening. ard when he catches the
spider eff guard he darts in. hits him
lick and gets away ike 2 flash some
times the hawk viii pretend To quit
and ny away, but the instant the tar
antula Is e1a his feet and scooting for
shelter. whizE. comes the hawk like a
bullet and socks il 70 him in the back
ofthe head. y few stings like that do
up the tarantula- He seems to become
dizzy from the poison, staEgcrs few
steps. and collapses in 4 hairy heap.
Ills legs twitch 2 few times, and that Is
the end of his malcvolent career.
I've been calling the hawk he all
along, but il isn't that kind of bird
The tarantula nemesis j. the female
hawk, 50 lar as l can judge, because
after the spider * knocked ont the
hawk proceeds II deposit eggs in the
remains. and, l suppose. the egrs are
hatched by the heat Of decomposition.
Possibly the purpose of laying eggs in
a defunct tarantula is to provide the
young hawks with grub at the thresh-
old of life, so TO speak.
Whatever the scheme NAV bc il Is
death TO tarantulas, and for that reason
nobody ever harms tarantula hawk.
The insects sting is said To he poison
Gus TO men. but ] never knew one TO
sting man.
Then there is the roadrunner, a joy
GUS sociable little fellow, whose bust
ness in life Is worrying rattlesnal1es to
death. The road runner is a bird
somewhat larger than blue jay, with
saucy toplznot and a still saucier tail
about foot in length. He runs as fast
as a horse ordinarily travels, and if he
once gets into the road ahead of a
hOrseman, he Will race along for hours
and can't be driven out Of the road. He
could skip aside and get out Of the way
II he wanted 20, but he seems to think
that it i his mission in life 10 keep
just ahead Of that horse, and nothing
can drive him from that occupation.
He is not III the least alarmed. and
when he gains too much OF lead he
viii stop and see-saw with his tail and
chirrup merrily until the horse nearly
catches up with him, when away he goes
again a. II his life depended on his win
ming the race. When he wearies of the
sport he disappear in the brush.
II was riding across a cactus desert
ono, when pair OF road runners that
has been racing with me turned out OF
the trail and became suddenly very
much excited about something. They
paid no more attention to me, and !
rode mp near enough to see what was
going on. They had run across big
diaInond-back rsttler and were pre-
parlng TO nave run with him. One o.
them had struck the snake with his
sharp bill and the diamond back had
promptly coiled himself in a defensive
attitude and was springing his rattle
wickedly.
One Of the birds remained near the
snake jumping about and making a
great show of hostility. but keeping
hcYond rcarh I'll fhn tim. ,.-l,il.. IL.