The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-12-13

to the neiehborhood of the straights, is not
found upon the pampas. The northern va
r1ety Is hereabouts known as AvcstrIz moro,
(gray birds), their plumage being uni
formly gray; while those of the south have
brownish feathers tipped with white
Both build the rudest kind of nests merely
shallow hole scratched in the ground
under the shelter of bush, and softened
by wisp of grass. The females are evil
IDENTIFY the LATEST of birds. for one nest
serves for several of them, who all deposite
their eggs in 1t and then go gadding about
leaving their husbands to hatch the chicks
There are usually from thirty to forty eggs
In nest, and as each egg is about equal in
size to ten hens eggs, it requires consider
able spread to cover them. The period of
incubation averages twenty two days; and
it is fact that the male bird squats pa
tiently upon the nest, day after day, until
all are Matched, 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 a
moment, and has been known to stick to
them week or more without feeding.
When tie 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 steels or
breaks single egg during his absence, he
knows it the instant he returns, and then
his rage knows no bounds; ne will dash
the remaining eggs to pieces and dance
around the debris like lunatic.
After the Matching period, the females
lay their eggs promiscuousty about the
plains. The natives call these "huatchos, !"
and the women and children spend a good
deal Of time hunting them. They keep
fresh for half a year, fresh enough for d
Patagonian), and one egg being equal to
g
fai- quota for one PERSONS dinner. Tho
Darwlnii ostriches are extremely shy, and
as their vision is remarkably acute, 1t 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 African cousin. One
Of these is that he scoots ahead
IN A 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. They then gal
lop full tilt up the line of flight, and either
intercept the ostrich altogether, or "hop-
pie" it with pair of bolas.
The latter weapon is peculiarly Patagon-
ian, and was i'll use nobody knows how
many centuries before the coming of white
men: yet nothing better has ever been de-
vised for hunting the shy creatures of the
plains, and the Spaniard and Guachos,
away up in Chill and Argentine, have
adopted it's use. To make a pair of bolas,
take two stones 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 a bit of guanaco raw-hide,
firmly sewed on, till 1t looks something
like cricket ball. Then cut two stout
thongs, each about four feet long; attach
one end of each to ball, 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
commences 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 bolas is
the plaything of his childhood, as the sling
is of the Bolivian gamin, and to display
skill in it's management has been the pride
OF his youth; so that 1t is no wonder he be,