The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-21

Hatched by the sun, Nor stick
Their Heads in the sand and
Imagine They Are Out of Sight.
From the Literary Digest.
One impression that comes uppermost on
reading what w. NJ. Gray has to say
about the habits of ostriches is, that arti-
ces on this subject in our books of refer
ence can compete with the sensational
newspaper in the matter of misinforma-
ton. The ostrich Mr.. Gray writes about
. Cosmopolitan, February and the ostrich
the public has been taught to believe in
are very different kinds of birds. The
real ostriches. as they manifest them
selves on an American farm, do not leave
the eggs to be Matched by the sun, do
not stick their head in the grass or sand
and think they are hidden. and the chicks
DO not live upon an extra supply of eggs
left near the nest But, to save our feel
ings to some degree. we are assured that
the ostrich will swallow almost anything
1t can get, including corkscrews and light
ed pipes
We quote from Mr.. Gray's article as fol-
lows:
There are at present only three ostrich
raising farms in the United States To
get at the truth of the matter the writer
spent day with Mr. Edwin Cawston,
proprietor Of the largest of these farms.
ne is the only ostrich-raiser who imported
nus birds from Africa and has remained
IN me business since. Mr. Cawston reach
ga OalGornla with forty-tWo birds, which
IN %e iSs, Drought over IN a chartered ship
M IS52 before the present prohibitory duty
VI E50 a bird covered all South African
lClinoIy. Hls farm. forty acres in extent,
- situated at Norwalk eighteen miles
a LON Los Angeles, and contains nearly
~ native ostriches, all but one of the
4 AtIledn birds having died off, unable to
cGrDlte the long journey and change of
oHIdte II has only been within a few
years that the native birds have been old
enough 10 lay, which accounts for the
1tbiParently small results of a ten years
o ul't' b9l over 800 birds have been raised
III inns farm during that time, and the
Clicks from now on will increase at the
A idIe OF al least 100 a year. = A num-
E yer OF the best-feathered birds were pen
B eo 80 vi III PAIRS Tor breeding purposes in
ePdIdle corrals, of which there were five
n ~ a. acre with a siX-foot passage way
Y 8twseH each to keep the male birds from
81 . M Ms IN south Africa, where there are
~" or 1900 acres to a farm stch small
lolIais would be laughed at: and even
a,.aoG u was thought necessary at first for
,ocn enclosure to contain an acre. But
.ne experiment at Norwalk has proved
n vIF successful and the birds are spend-
oiiart ~ nVes in their present narrow
6tion IN IN very healthy and happy con-
"tpoH' hy being well fed they are kent
rI,r NM III better condition than the birds
r '',lu- m troops These breeding birds
m 'CIg vicious during the laying season.
3rais %DitSHuahts never dare 20 in the cor
bss, IA them, for fear Of their lives.
and 49, aga can strike a terrific forward
k-itb NownW9rd blow with their feet and
n incredible quickness. They have
ken known to injure a horse so severely
"a! s II had to be shot.
3ird i.Dl lhe rainy season is over the male
IN g URGE rect across and a foot deem,
H. ".iSoh me hen does her laying, after
w. T. or years old. One egg Is laid
cry DAY, until there are twelve 10 m
No. ni,s.lA we nest lying there naturally
No. Aey1 carefully on end, as frequently
bopins DHtlnS this period, before sitting
IN oacb ntIle sand Is placed on the top
H. bca, ess Dy the hen to protect Il from
- "'' or the sun. This may have given
500 ,o lHe burying-in- the-sand theory
Ma Iotba as the fun number of eggs are
RatabiotH ,bfds do their share of the
H., IT; incubation lasting forty-two
kork s tue male bird does most OF the
4ndl q SUING from or in the afternoon
NJ t1t.o CLOCK In the morning, when the
No. 'l6es her turn for the day. with an
rd.io,.o4 az noon, during which time she
teep tbt,u 10y ner mate. A good pair will
TIM" - ~ with great regularity TIL Il
VINE lor the chicks to arrive whom tbc
4 q H. WIZ often help them out by press-
II mas tkss with her breast-bone some.
H. hrtn selZing chick By it's head IN
n 40 9ad heak and literally SHAKING n
OF its she'll ""NiHS ~
rer,n,. interesting to watch the birds
posliy settle down upon the nest and
M ~, OF their long legs among the eggs
4 Film a standard book OF reference de-
Xxx the Matching as follows: sAs nc
Horid u.s. extremely large and heavy. she
on tPgnt,,a, her eggs y she were TO sit
h. 'Hem like other birds she there.
n, ulles them IN the sand. watches
q yo1ia matches them, as II were, with
N e5y1Ca ionaly an ostrich. as also a man
,s possessed OF a desire 10 reiie,,c
u,a ot az her duties, and quietly in
NJ vE99n sitting all the time on the
~ Xxx sne walks abroad IN search OF
81 6ird ghlcks are taken away from the
MAJ ibo Us soon as Matched, and raised
'V mousse, being kept warm at night