Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1894-07-14

all due respect 10 Mr.. WEBSTER ] beg u
state that an ostrich is twoleggc,
feaihercd brute. possessing the uniqu
combination Of a 400 mule power kick
with the average intelligence to be foun,
in the homely but useful htiching post
a pig is generally supposed to be, t,
say the least Of Il, an awkward ANNA
TO drive. but swine.herdcr enjoys at
arcadian lie compared 10 that Of a maj
who is compcIedto be around osirichc5
Let him handle them for week and !
at the end Of that period he can proud
ly say ~ have not sworn one sware,
canonizc him on the spot, for he is to,
good for this wicked world hat
read Rider HasSard's Jess" and ar
ostrich farmer would be or bus, IN th,
attempt eventually busted
One bright summers morn revealed
my partner Smith and Jogging along
on our Basuio poaics 10 inspect a flock
Of birds that were fpr sale at a neigh
boring farm about twenty miles on; and
MS we canlcrcd over the undulating
vsldt, bright visions Of future opuloncc
played tag through my brain. was
called back to earth by a big gnsiy
baboon scampering across the road,
with the usual homely gait, and seal.
ing a rocky krantz, joined his compan.
ions. Judging from the exciting debate
that ensued concluded that Ciy general
gct.up was exciting small amount Of
criticism and could almost imagine !
heard one baby baboon with a bcauu-
ful fringe Of whiskcs remark to his
progeuitor, 40 you take any stock In
that Nj Darwin, papa' Surely that
rcd.shirted bravo down there Is not one
of our descendants" Whilst on the
subject Of balloons / might remark that
they arc the farmers worst enemy aud
play as much havoc la a field of ripen.
ing mcalies (cornl as good healthy
cyclone. II Is impossible to get near
them, as they have sentries posted TO
give warning Of danger. When the
alarm Is tuTned in the ladies and juveniles
head the retreat. followed by the young
blades, with ten or a dozen hcavy
ANNhNh WV HlANANAN W WV NNAlN wiz sup
and squat down, snarl and grim at YOU
with their two inch tusks every twenty
or thirty PAGES. saw happy, rollick.
ing inexperienced bulldog contact one
evening to throw a senilc baboon over
bis ear, lie pretty nearly bluiicd the
ipe, too, but Just as things were grow.
ng interesting muscular paw seized
he misguided canine by the scruh OF the
ieck and literally tore the dog In two.
ossing the fragments Ia the AIR.
AS mathematician the baboon IS a
CHASTITY failure. lie can count thee and
no more. let four men with guns go
into clump Of bushes and tnrce re
turn and the balloons will continue theiI
raid upon the mealio patch aud feel
greatly imposed upon II they leave a
lew dead and wounded on the field.
One may get shot a. them also II
atired in skirt and carrying gun
concealed In an umbrella, they hold
women In great contempt. But then they
have not read the plcbwick papers.
We ultimately reached our dcstina.
ton, viewed the flock aud after an
amount Of haggiing that would have
made horse dealer blush, closed the
deal. let down the bars and VITA the
assistance OF two Hottentots proceeded
to take our purchase home, as | fondly
imagined. ] soon found out that Il was
not case OF rs taking them-they
simply took US; and IN the next twenty
four hours | explored more Of Africa
than Stanley ever did in a month. Whilst
we had them on the road with a wire
fence on either side and boy TO head
them oil, Il was mere child's play; the
birds would get up little scraps among
themselves and hiss az each other ana
exchange kicks that sounded like a sal.
walton army drum, But we struck the
open veldt at last and behold every
bird had an appointment NJ various parts
Of the horizon and was Ia a hurry to gct
there. My pony Dick was a dandy and
the short turns lie would take fairly
made my hair stand ON end. Somehow,
We could never agree upon which side
Of bush he would prefer and / dis
mounted so many times that II began ~
get monotonous. A revolver gives quite
finish to a mans get up, but when it
comes 10 laying on Il suddenly on the
ground ] prefer an air cushion every
time. As an ostrich takes sixteen feet
at stride when excited, we had 20 cut
uii lots Of corners to keep track Of them.
Finally we got all, minus three, up 10
Alli khAN VI AANll hAnNNANnu anu
breathed sigh Of relief to think our
troubles were over. Five OF the leading
birds walked through with mincing
gait; the remaining tWenly.seyen got mo
o panic worthy OF Wall street, and broke
in all directions. Being reinforced by
lew KiiiiIs we kept the birds against
the wire fence and played circus iur a
5olid hour The ostuChcs would want
get through to their friends on the
other side OF the fence aud would run
pushing and buckng along the wire.
houghtiully slide past the open pate
and commence the same tactics on the
other side. SO much for their reasoning
faculties.
Next day We paired oil a few Of the
likely birds andput them into enclosures.
turning the others out with Smiths
flock Tor feather birds and then settled
down to the arduous life OF an ostrich
farmer, which consists OF sitting in the
shade all day with a novel. visiting thc
stock In the evening 20 see they are an
right and feeding the breeding birds
with few mealirs, Asto iOodan ostrich
is not very particular, herbs, leaves OF
trees and brass cartridge shells form
their staple Diet turn them iu on a well
developed gravel bed and they become
intoxicated with ecStoci. The breeding
birds when not up get very tame
and, II one stands quite still, will come
up to the fence and puloIu your scarf
PIN, coat buttons OF any bright object
one may have eNuOseJ. Stfanpe Ia ..4v