National Baptist world., 1894-11-16

= ,,ac more than month before L re- Bt
oo,-a,.od from the scratching got.-ot.
Louis Globe-Democrat. an
FIGHTING OSTRlCHES. 81
, Eiercelv Contested Battle Between NV" ID
California Birds. d'
A few days ago there was oaUVle Il
roval at the Coronado ostrlcn l"fni' 81
lust across the bay, which, 1or lerocioy G
of purpose and certainty OF eNecu'ion' {;
outdid anything of the kind thaC d iiu' '
name society ever undertook TO stoP.
| The fohters were two full-groWh coon
ostriches. s'Jim" and Colonel, al" {
the sipht during the combat was olio
that the few people who chanceo "
witness it will not soon torget.
A three-hundred- pound ostrich VIII
1h;a oroer +horouohlv aroused is as TOR
aniaoh7a q foe as the most daring sports
.,,a,, would care to face The big BIRDS
1~;cl- ;s in itself a peculiar thing, as Well
, as 1ric;ons. The sweep of the powerful
1ao Is forward. with a motion not ui,
1i17a that Of a boxers arm shot stra1gh1
q from the shoulder The bony, polnteo
a toe, driven by the hard, tougn le2 l:oI. n
i cles. easily penetrates an lnch, ,v',io
d board Of redwood or three-1our.na %
| an inch of Oregon pine whlcn ID AD
e much softer than oak. BesloeS' V,l'
k rapidity and accuracy with "hlch 'ii'
le ostrich kicks are surprising
IS The foht at the Coronado farm Was
an+ire1v informal Keeper Campoel'
Is bad served luncheon to the thirty oi
a forty bipeds in the ostrich yard. n'
/ birds ate the cabbage leaves ana gram
as With aviditv, crowding together a'
en- hens crowd about corn in barnyaro
as pa.ca raioned until two old COCKS
es -a,,4od 70 cat the same cabbage lea1
w. oe+r;cb has a short temper. I'D
os Lo,,+ +bir+v seconds these three-hun
nh 1-.9a,,o,,nd cocks SQUARED off for D
to o,o-oslvou-nlease fight, and royal hgh'
en- = was in the eyes of the keeper as ife
as saw plumes worth ten dollars eacil Sot'l
of from the BODY of bird in response t'
I'D, the kick of the enemy, and 1all cruhl
eet nled and worthless in the dust feath0i
did not count for much IN the h't>l'ihi
way ewes of the ostriches-they Wan'0'
hes blood. With a deep hiss anu ou1
rus stretched wings Jim bore down oi
ned Colonel like a gale, sheered to the IL? Il
zen and caught on the left thlgh' rlPPln'
red, tho thick skin from the leg. Colohe
hey re+aliated. almost crippling jim WIN
with a kick that all but capSlzeo illii
re Thev then SPARED with feet anu oeftA
It of nicltino and kicking feathers from eI OIL
). another. until Colonel dealt tefrll
,hed blow on Jim's body which seemeo
st it literally lift him from the grouh
own Onlv the thick mass OF teathers Pr
ook- vanted the terrible toe from pehe'r'
that ;no inns abdomen. Regalnlng Il
that b,.oath Jim knocked Colonel over WI
L. | kde kick, breaking his wing. Oolon
l,ntlI ,.,lra;naa his feet before the attack "
lest th:
| renewed BOUT 'lreis if1'sl 49, -
e of lono plumes and looked as II they ne
long lust been plucked. botn IN
q in and weak from loss OF olooo. LILY
4 to attacks grew feebler, ana hnal,S %
They by common consent, 'ley oe h1,sb
,ries, mo and walked OFT among IHe '.''li
hair to recuperate. Ihe nShU was - 80.
time ond the anxious keeper was glao I'll
vo Of the birds were allVe' ,al,
eping three hundred ana Hl'y ''oA'(,-' 49,,
1t as Dnrino the fight no man dared tr'
h;s life near the fighters. EXperleH'
my l,eeners seldom try to 1nterlere
erves, fghting animals. II they 90 ulio ~
,arest hinad anger of both birds IS llhely
reech foil uDOn the meddler, anu oiiO
he air 1eath. A single kick from one OF III
as an ostriches would simply dlsemoo"e
S near man.
rbare are now six hundred or Sc
e, and bnndred ostriches in this state e
es. l Yielding about fifty dollars Wortf
their y1,ndressed feathers annually. IL G
Both three cents day to feed each bl"d:
l shot anos are hatched in incubators' al
bullet a0 ner cent Matching suecess1'
Tbe chicks are allowed to run aoot
empty the sunshine shortly after hatch
dying and several days after birth they
YER my aatino tender vegetable sprouts
of The n;na months or so they are kePo
ne from adult birds lest their ELDERS
2 in the them. Until three months OLD c
le rock. can be bought for twenty-five ool
jumped In several years they attain mas'
1e from ,d coll for from three hundred &c
coming - Ave hundred dollars Sci
side. feathers. especially the long y
3he full nlumes, sell for one hundred oci L!
f them ppnnnd Considering the indaV
tn their ralue of ostriches and the d
nd their Yield it is small wonder that the
rrows in ers look upon battles like that
nd shirt the bav as something in the natr
a1amities-San Francisco enron