The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1891-07-16

Road Runner OF California which
Prcys on Rattlesnakes-Having
., Fun with Scorpion.
'~''1 We prospected all over what the
geographers call the great American
desert, and think it's pretty good
country. Some people might think it
but that's all a matter of
taste. 1t suits me because there is
plenty ofselbow room. It's q trife dry
] admit, and sometimes man will get
pretty thirsty and think himself in big
luck to find pool Of water that smells
SO that he has to hold his nose when he
drinks it, but one can get used to that.
- And then it isn't SO lonesome after you
get acquainted and know where to look
fer neig hbers. o.
There's plenty of life on the desert
not crowds Of human life, rushing
and tearing about like crazy ants, and
keeping up din day and night that is
enough to drive the whole world mad
but interesting, sensible, natural life,
full of comedy, tragedy and even hui
NOR. If you feel lonesome you can
find company anywhere by turning up
a rock orrfoolsing under the sagebush.t
There's no lack of ingenious, curious
little creatures whose ways are worth
studying.
Take thczst arantula hawk, for ex-
ample. vs.
That's aninsect built sonnet thing.
: like a wasp or. perhaps, more like a
devils darning needle and 1t flies
about looking for tarantulas just as
hawk scars about keeping his ye
peeled for gophers and such provender
When the hawk sees tarantula he
goes for the big spider, swoops down
upon him, stings him and gets away
like flash.
"a 1.-THE tarantula knows that his only
show is to get under cover, and he legs
it home in frantic haste. It's fun to
see the big, hairy-legged bully duck his
head and paddle off through the sand
as if the devil was after him-and the
devil is after him, sure enough. If the
-taFantula is near his house he may es-
cape by getting to it, tumbling in head
first and shutting the door tight, but
he's got to hustle for it, because Little
Jack the Giant Killer is hustler him
selfand keeps jabbing away at every
jump. If the hairy ogre gets caught
outa great way from his castle his name
is Dennis and he knows it.
Gle flops over upon his back to make
a fight, and If he could get hold of the
hawk in that position he would make
short work of the little chap, but the
hawk sees the trick, and just keeps
Sailing around and watching for an
opening, and when he catches the
spider off guard he darts in, hits him
lick and gets away like flash. Some
times the hawk will pretend to quit
and fly away, but the instant the tar
antua is on his feet and scooting for
shelter, whizz, comes the hawk like a
bullet and socks it to him in the back
of the head. A few stings like that do
up the tarantula. He seems to become
dizzy from the poison, staggers a few
steps, and eollapses in hairy heap.
His legs twitch few times and that is
the end of his malevolent career.
'I've been calling the. hawk he all
along, but it isn't that kind of a bird.
The tarantula nemesis is the female
hawk, so far as l can Judge, because
after the spider is knocked out the
hawk proceeds to deposit eggs in the
remains, and, suppose, the eggs are
Matched by the heat of decomposition.
9. Possibly the purpose of laying eggs in
defunet tarantnla is to provide the
young hawks with grub at the thresh-.
old Of life, so to speak.
Whatever the scheme may be it is
death to tarantulas, and for that reason
nobody ever harms tarantula hawk
The insects sting is said to be poison
Gus to men, but i never knew one ssto
sting a.man.
Then there is the roadrunner, a joy
Gus, sociable little fellow, whose bush
ness in life is worrying rattlesnakes to
death. The, road runner is p bird
somewhat larger than q blue jay, with
u sauGy toplknot and still saucer tail
about az foot in length. He runs as fast
las horse ordinarily travels, and IL he
= enee gets into the road ahead OF a
horseman, he win 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 to- but he seems to think
that it is his mission in life to keep
just ahead of that horse, and nothing
can. drive him, from that occupation,
*'IIe is not in the least alarmed, and
when he gains too much Of lead he
will stop and see-saw with his tail and
ehirrup merrily until the horse nearly
catches up with him, when away he goes
again as if his life depended ON his win
ming the race. When he wearies OF the
sport he disappears in the brush,
II was riding across cactus desert
once, when pair of road runners that
had 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 up near enough to see what was
going on. They had run across big
dlamond,back RATHER and were pre-.
"paring to have fun with him. One OF
them had struck the snake with his
- sharp bill and the diamond back had
promptly coiled himself in q defensive
nttitude and was springing his rattle
wickedly.
One of the birds remained near the
snake jumping about and making .
great show of hostility, but keeping
beyond reach all the time, while the
ether gathered little punches OF dry
cactus with spines as sharp as needles
and almost as hard, which he dropped
close to the reptile The road runner
WIS as busy as the devil in . gale q