Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-13


main facts have cleaned concerning Amer
ican ostriches.
The Female Ostriches Are Lazy.
Each species has its range, confined within
certain limits Thus the great struthero
rhea, which more nearly resembles the
African ostrich, roams the Northern pam
pas, but never comes below the Chupnt
river; and the smaller struthero Darw1nl1,
indigenous to the neighborhood of the
Straits is not found upon the
pampas. The Northern variety is uniformly
gray; while those of the South have brown
ish features tipped with white. Both build
the rudest kind of nests-merely a shallow
hole scratched in the ground under the shell
ter of a bush, and softened by a wisp of
grass. The females are evidently the LATEST
of birds, for one nest serves for several of
them, who all deposit their eggs in it and
then go gadding about, leaving their hus-
bands to hatch the chicks.
There are usually from 80 to 40 eggs In o
nest, and as each egg is about equal in size
to ten hens eggs it requires considerable
spread to cover them. The period of incu-
baton averages % days; and it is fact that
the male bird squats patiently upon the
nest day after day until all are hatched, and
then he looks after the babies till they are
able to take care of themselves. During
rainy weather the faithful father never
leaves the eggs for moment
Sometimes He Gets on q Tear.
When the weather is fine he strays away
an hour or two toward evening to stretch
his long legs and get something to eat. If
fox or other animal intrudes and steals or
breaks single egg during his absence he
knows it the instant he returns, and then
his rage knows no bounds; he will dash the
remaining eggs to pieces and dance around
the debris like lunatic.
After the Matching period the females lay
their eggs promiscuously about the plains.
The natives call these "huatchos," and the
women aud children spend a good deal of
time hunting them. They keep fresh for
half year (eresh enough for a Patagonian),
and one egg, being equal to eight or ten
hens eggs, is considered the fair quota for
one PERSONS dinner. The Darwinii ostriches
are extremely shy, and as their vision is re-
markably acute, it is by no means an easy
matter to capture them, unless the hunter
has well-trained dogs. The American bird
has many habits in common with his Afri
can cousin. One of these is that he scoots
ahead in straight line when pursued, and
always against the wind if he can. Aware
of this habit, the Patagonians chase him on
horseback, first placing some of their party
in ambush in the direction which he is likely
to take. Then they gallop full tilt up to
the line of flight, and either intercept the
ostrich altogether, or "hopple" it with a
pair of bolas.
Making . Pair of BoIas.
The latter weapon ia peculiarly Pata-
gonian, and was in use, nobody knows how
many centuries before the coming of wI.ite
men; yet nothing better has ever been de-
vised for hunting the shy creatures of the
plains, and the Spaniards and the Guachos,
away up in Chile and Argentine, have
adopted its use. To make pair of bolas,
take two stone of unequal size-one about
as large as goose egg, the other as hens
egg-and grind them perfectly smooth by
rubbing one against the other. Cover each
with bit of guanaco rawhide, firmly sewed
on, till it looks something like cricket
ball. Then cut two stout thongs, each
about two feet long; attach one end of each
to bail, and knot the other end of the
thongs together, so that when the strings
are at full stretch the balls will be at least
eight feet apart
That is all there is of it, and the bolas are
then ready for use. But the difficulty COM
mences when the novice attempts to handle
them, for dexterity comes only with long
practice. Every Patagonian has had his,
almost from the cradle, for the boas is the
plaything Of his childhood. as the sling is
of the Bolivian gamin, and to display skill
in its management has been the pride of his
youth, so that it is no wonder he becomes so
proficient that he can project the balls an
incredible distance, with unerring accuracy
Of aim, in such a way that the thong will
wind around the legs of the unlucky object
struck, whether man, beast or bird, with
force enough to bury itself in the flesh.
The method of throwing an animal with
he bolas has been thus graphically de-
cribed: 'The right hand is only used; and
this grasps the thongs at their point of
union The balls are then wbirIed in cir
cular motion around the head, and when
sufficient centrifugal power has been OBJ
tanned, the weapon is launched at the object
to be captured. The aim is matter of nice
calculation, in which mind, eve and arm all
bear part; and so true is this aim in Pats
gonian practice that the hunter seldom fails
to bring down OK otherwise cripple his
game.
How the Bolas Are Hurled.
The rounding of the stones is the work Of
the women, and it takes two or three days
to grind a pair to the proper spherical
shape. In some districts farther north a
third ball has been introduced, but the
Indians do not regard this as an improve
ment. Wooden balls are sometimes used,
and iron ones whenever they can be had, as
the heavier they are the more execution
they will do. A true Patagonian on horse
back, armed with pair of iron bolas, is .
formidable enemy, from which neither bird
nor beast within q radius of 30 yards has
the smallest chance of escape.
After Bird Is Caught.
Commander Musters, in his interesting
book called ';At Home With the Pata-
gonians," says that the Indian law of divid-
ing the game is as follows: The man who
balls the ostrich leaves it for the other who
has been chasing with him to take charge of
it until the end of the hunt. Then the
breast bone and one leg belongs to the cap
tor, the remainder to mis- assistant. Fires
are kindled, and while stones are heating
the ostrich is plucked, the wing feathers
being carefully tied together with piece
Of sinew. The bird is then laid on
its back and drawn; the legs |
ire carefully Skinned down and |
he bone taken out leaving the |
skin. The carcass is then separated into
halves, and the backbone having been e1-
;racted fr"m the. lower half, the meat is |
Iliced so as to admit heated stones laid in /
between the sections; and then it is tied up |
ike bag, secured by the skin of the legs,
With small bone thrust through to keep all
aut. The whole is placed on the live en-
,ers on the fire, and when it is nearly done,
light blaze is kindled to perfectly roast
he meat outside. During the process OF .
ooling 1t has to be frequently turned, that
ii parts may be thoroughly baked. When
AIKEN from the fire the top part Is cut off
nd the stones removed, when broth and
ueat will Be found delicious.
FANNIE B. WARn
The Tin PIate and Petroleum.