The Portland daily press., 1895-07-29
THE ROAD RUNNER.
One of the Most Interesting and Useful
Birds of the Western Plains.

Prominent among the quaint pro-
ductions of the Sierra country is the road
runner, often called the "chapparral
cock, and again the "cock of the
plains" Like all the bold challengers of
the bird creation the road runner is
crested. He is no relative of the grouse,
being indeed an unique creation.
Strangely enough he is classified with the
cuckoos, which are denizens of the
groves and are gentle, if not spiritless,
writes George NJ. Kellogg in Our Ami
NAL Friends. But in the road runner
the slight, short legs of the cuckoo have
become long and strong, almost match
ing those of the wild turkey. The feet,
designed apparently for climbing or
perching, are also long and strong, with
two sharp toes reaching forward and two
turned backward
A friend in Santa Fe, N. NJ, tells me
that he has seen road runner take to
telegraph pole, and with three skips as
it We're, mount to its top. He has some-
thing of the look of the great crested log
cock-the gallant high strutter of the
pointed bill provides the chaparral cock
with as keen weapon of offense as any
ravens beak, but it never by any chance
dips into carrion. A brilliant eye with
the glitter of the mustangs is in the
large, well poised head. AS though to
proclaim his carnivorous habit, a small
red guile, bare of feathers, is planted on
the neck below each cheek.
This COCK of the plains is the picture of
sinewy lightness. His hue is dark,
with many horizontal flecks of white.
His glossy black tail-over foot in
lengths held up proudly, but straight
back. He uses it as rudder to steer his
Heet passage over the ground The jack
rabbit, for 100-yard stretch, has not half
Will not waste his strength in long rae
ing, but shoots with arrowy speed to his
covert or point of attack.
He is the foe of all vermin, especially
OF snakes, tarantulas and the deadly vine
georne He often compasses the death of
large snakes by surrounding them with
cactus spines, and then tantalizing them
till they impale themselves on the sharp
spikes. With his wings, which he dis
dains to use in flying, he can strike the
threatening snake-head blow that will
so stun and scatter the senses that the
prey is easy to the relentless enemy
This bird loves the ardent sun, the
spiky cactus, the thorny mesquite bush,
and the serried bayonets that guard the
yucca. All these plants of the desert fur
nlsh sure hiding places on the exposed
pain for the chaparral cock and his fami-
~. Wary and fierce as he is by nature,
he seems to know we'll that he is of
friendly meaning to man. His boldness
gives him a certain confidence or trust
and he is easily tanned, becomes semi
domestic, and at once is mans sure ally
in destroying the sly pests of the granary,
with the spiteful centipedes and scor-
worth dozen lazy cats to the Mexican
ranchero. The tail of the chaparral
cock-made of many broad, stiff feathers
(not plumes)-did not grow in Darwin's
sentimental house of sexual selection
Its owner has to "get his living' a nd
cannot afford to dawdle. This tail
unique and unrivaled among bird tails
swings from side to side like road oar
as the bold. Industrious cock turns a
corner. No boatman ever feathered an
oar SO skilfully and masterfully in round
ing turn or rope-walker ever used his
balancing pole more adroitly. With it
the bird can arrest his swiftest flight,
and make the sharpest angle in his
course, zigzagging, almost lightning
doubling was never done by any fox a.
field as is possible to to our bird, skim
ming in airy grace like keen skater
over field of ice
1t is said that in winter this adyentur-
GUS bird migrates afoot several hundred
miles southwark. much after the manner
of the wild turkey. 1t is found in win
ter along the gulf of Mexico and the
gulf of California. Thus his range is the
whole breadth of the continent in the
latitude 30to 35 degrees. Let us hope
that he will long remain to enliyen these
plains and hillsides and to mitigate the
pests of this "white and bright land''
of New Mexico.