The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-10-27
OSTRICH coRBETTs.
Singular Fight between Great Birds on a
Colorado Ranch.


There was terribly earnest fight at the
Coronado ostrich farm across the bay from
San Diego, Cal, recently between two of the
largest and ugliest cock ostriches in the
flock of thirty or forty birds, says de-
spatch to the Chicago Inter-Ocean. The
fighters weighed about 800 pounds each.
They were evenly matched and very plucky
and did their best to kill each other.
There is no novelty about Al ostrich
fight. The ponderous birds are quick as
cats. They use their feet more dexterously
than a pngilist uses his fists and with more
deadly effect. One of these birds can
/ thrust his hony, pointed toeInthrough an
| inch board with very slight effort. Such
| blow is enough to kill an OK. With single
kick one of these ostriches would disem-
| bowel man instantly.
Tie fight started over the division of
| cabbage leaves which Keeper Campbell had
| thrown TO the hungry birds. Seldom have
| two bipeds fought with more desire to kill
| than did these ostriches. Aud royal light
| it was in the eyes of the keeper as he saw
| plumes worth $40 each soar from the body of
! a bird in response to the kick of the enemy
and fall crumpled and worthless into the
| DUST
Feathers didn't count for much in the
flashing eyes of the ostriches. With deep
hiss and outstretched wings ostrich Jim bore
| down on Colonel like toIty-fOoter in
| gale, sheered to the right, and caught Col
onel on the lef. thigh, ripping the thick
| hide of the bare leg and causing it to bleed
| freely. Colonel retaliated, and almost Grip
pied Jims wing with a kick that nearly
capsized him. They then spared with feet
and beaks, picking and kicking feathers
| from one another, until Colonel dealt a ter
rifle blow on Jim's stomach which seemed
to literally lift him from the ground. Only
| the thick mass of feathers prevented the
awful toe from penetrating Jim's abdomen.
| Jim was game. Regaining his breath he
| knocked Colonel over with side kick,
| breaking lis wing. Colonel recovered his
| feet before the attack was renewed. Both
| birds had by this tine lost their plumes,
and looked as if they had been plucked.
Both were tired and weak from loss of
blood. Their attacks grew feebler. and f.
nally, as if by common consent. thew
ceased fighting and walked off among the
/ bushes to recuperate. . Iesz e.
The fight was draw and the anxious
keeper felt relieved that the birds lived.
| During the ght no man dared trust his
life near the fighters. EXPERIENCED keeps
ers seldom try TO interfere. If they do the
concentrated anger of both birds is likely
| to fall upon the luckless meddler and end
in his death. An interfering keeper once
| had his spine shattered by a single kick
| from an ostrich.
| Ostrich farming is one of the growing in
dustries or Southern California. Ten or
ILtwelve years ago several faEmsp= were.
started with a total of seventy imported
| from South Africa There are now six to
seven hundred birds in this State, each
| yielding about $50 worth of undressed
| feathers annually. 1t costs three cents a
day to feed each bird. All eggs are Matched
| in incubators, about 80 per cent Matching
successfully. The chicks are allowed to
run about in the sunshine few hours after
Matching. Several days after birth they
begin eating tender vegetable sprouts. For
nine months or SO they are kept away from
adult birds lest their elders should kill
them. Until three months old a chick can
be bought for SIS. In several years they at
tain maturity and sell for $500 to $500 each.
Selected feathers, especially the long
white plumes. sell for $lU0 pound. The
birds are vegetarians, with preference
for alfalfa. but if allowed to get very hun
CRY they would eat an old hat. Their legs
and bodies have the appearance OF rheum-
attic ballet dancer, while their walk re-
sembles combination of the walk of a
cude and girl whose shoes are too tight.
Thirty years is the average lifetime of an
! ostrich.