Morning journal and courier., 1893-07-06

awkwsrdness and uncertainty. This leads
them to advance and then in q dervish- Ike
whirl which is very quaint and fantastic
as they foat about assisting their motions
by their out spread wings. They circle and
reverse almost as q waltzar would, and
when q larger number of these strange
birds go through their dancing antics It is
almost impossible to believe tha. they have
not been taught the accomplishment by q
dancing master. Their waltz often ends In
disaster, as they break each others legs
which is certain desth or become dizzy and
fall down in q demoralized heap. The
kick of an ostrich has been known to des
troy life.
In the opening chapter of Rider Hag-
CARDS jess" there is highly dramatic
account of fght for life with an ostrich,
and it lie historically correct. In fighting
they are apt to break their own legs, they
give such desperate blows. Indeed, 1t
would seem as If all the vital energies of
the great bird were centered in its long, ,un-
calmly legs, which are graceful only when
going scross their native grsss-covsred
plains with rapidity of motion that must
be seen to be appreciated.
am only rehearsiDg few of the pecu-
ts4So IA AAC SAoh11EC WHICH nave mAUe IL
of interest ever since the days of JOB.
(which lssveth her eggs in the earth and
wsrmeth them In the dust" Il would ap.
pear to be an evidence of cunning rather
than stupidity for Mrs. Ostrich to adopt
this very Eimple method of incubation.
However, 1t has its disadvantages, for while
she Is away getting good dinner, her en-
emy, the white necked crow, spies the un-
guarded nest. BE knows he cannot break
one of those mammoth eggs, and devises a
shrewd plan to help him. Taking a stone
In his beak, he flies over the spot, oalcu-
lAtes with bird sagscity the necessary die
tance, and drops the atone. Pluck. An
egg ts broken, and he descends to his fesst
This is said to b. the ssme kind of a raven
that fed the prophet Elijah his wisdom
seems almost of a supernatural order.
Il is said that the cry of an ostrich Is
like the roar of lion, aud the Hottentots
often run from it in fright until they see
the bird.
The ostrich is generous layer. Sixty
eggs will be found in and around q single
nest. One of these eggs is tqusl TO TWEEN
ty-four hens csgs. The Hutlent0ts and
Bushmen cook an ostrich egg by putting
one end in hot FIRE. Through an opening
In the other they stir the contents, putting
in salt and pepper, making very palata-
BILE omelst
1t is never safe to drop ally article when
walking near a covey Of ostriches The os-
trich will eat anything, seeming sppsrsnt-
ly TO have no sense of taste. story is
told of a young girl who wac visiting a ECO
where a large ostrich snstched her kid
gloves which were rolled into a bail. and
ate them. The next day the girl returned
with the family contribution of half dog
en- pairs of gloves, all of which were as
resdily swallowed.
While the ostrich hss absolutely no
brain-see Job for suthority-it has vicious
proPeusities that show some sort OF wicked
intelligence. Some Cape Town people had
fowl fstting in a special coop near an os-
trich krEal. The bird drooped and grew
thin. II wss watched and seen TO peer
through the stats of lite coop, curious to
watch its neighborf, the oEtriches. Every
time 1t put its head out 1t received a kick
from It's neighbor, and would coon have
died had it not been removed
A meek looking male ostrich stood about
with his consort looking 60 detected that
some visitors remarked it must be hen
pecked.
"Oh," laughed their host, "he is hen
kicked, )" and they soon saw him receive q
staggering blow from his gentle spouse
which cent him with dropping feathers in
10 corner.
Old Lightning belonged to an ostrich
farm at San Diego, and was a magnificent
bird. He PcQn,red HE name from the ~
pidity with which he could pluck = lighted
cigar or pipe from 8 visitors mouth or re-
move his watch and chain or any ornament
he could discover. The noiselsss manner
in which he could steal up behind one and
nip some personal property was remark
able. He was q natural born thief Once
he snatcbed all the flowers eff young ls-
dy's hat. At another time be attempted 10
swallow diamond earring, bu: as it was
fast in it's owners ear be could not man
age 1t.
Old Lightning's greatest feat was swal
lowing lighted meerscham pipe which hs
snaiched from q visitors mouth The keep
er had seen him and caught him sround
the neck, and the pipe wss exhuned, tbs
tobacco still burning.