The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-22
FEATHERED DANCERS.
singular Actions Among Birds-The
Vngaries of the Shadow Bird.

singular Actions Among Birds-The
Vagaries of the Shadow Bird.
From the New York Evening Post.
The sun was rising ball of fire out of
the Mexican Gulf when party of turtle
hunters, who had been lying on the white
sands all night, were reused by one of
their number, who mysterously beckoned
to them to follow, and disappeared in the
bush. The sleepy men slowly rose, shook
the sand and hermit crabs from their
clothes and the mangrove leaves from
their hair, and pushed their way into the
narrow opening.
They wound in and out for some mo-
ments, then dropped upon their knees
and slowly crawdel to the edge of the
mangrove bush that crowned the island
and glanced through. Before them
stretched away a shallow lagoon or mud
fiat on the edge of which stood group
of large cranes. AS a rule the birds are
very dignifed, standing for hours in one
spot like statues, but the actions of these
birds proved that they were exceptions,
as to the amazement of the watchers,
they were leaping into the air and going
through a series of performances which
convinced the beholders that there were
such things as feathered dancers. Near
ly all the birds were participating in the
dance, only a few standing by them
selves, and the movements of the dane
ers suggested a series of complicated evo-
lutions. They walked about in stately
manner, now in circles, now in irregular
squares, then suddenly leaped into the
air. in an aerial game of leap-frog, then
with heads held proudly aloft ran in
straight line, again lowering them to dart
from side to side, huttering their wings
all the while. Now one bird walked out
alone, followed by a row of several, all
carrying out a series of manoeuvres,
which might well have been compared
to the movements of a. body of troops,
and they did not cease these eVolutions
for some time.
Some years ago relative of the writer
CHANGED to have upon his large ranch or
farm in the Middle West, a family of
sandhill cranes, which constituted a never
failing attraction to the people from far
and near, who came and concealed them
selves in the complies and watched the
dancing cranes, whose actions were even
more remarkable than those previously de-
scribed.
These dances are not confined to the
cranes and herons, but are INDUCED in by
a large number of birds of widely different
families. One of the most interesting is
the shadow bird of Africa, which builds
singular mound-like nest, with three dis
tinct departments-one, in which the bird
sits with it's bill protruding from the door;
another, which is the storehouse, piled
with food and a third, in which the nest
is made and the eggs deposited. 1t is said
that the name shadow is given to the bird
from its peculiar habit of creep
ing through the grass, every
l
ing perfectly motioness, and casting on
unusual shadow. At certain times the
| bird, which has a singular crest, INDUCES
in a series of dances which amaze even the
natives, who profess to believe that these
actions are rites which the bird is per-
forming to its god. The bird will hop
lightly upon its mound, bow to the right
and left, lift its wings slightly. raise it,
self upon it's "tiptoes." hop into the air
then fly to the ground and run about as
though following some other bird, and
finally stop suddenly, and creep into its
three-roomed house, where its long beak
will soon be seen protruding from the door.
This is repeated with many variations
by other biras, as the nests are in COM
munities, and the impression produced
upon the concealed observer is that the
birds are amusing themselves with the
dance after the manner of human beings
The strange bird known as the cock CT
Of the Emperors of Brazil were once made
is one of the most famous dancers, its evo-
buttons and performances defying ade-
quate description and being almost beyond
belief. An observer who followed flock
for days and weeks through the noun
tains of Brazil to prove whether the story
was a myth or not finally came upon them
in a rocky gorge. He was creeping from
rock to rock, crouching low, and hiding
behind rocks and bushes, when he heard
a strange noise. CHANGING around the
moss-covered rock behind which he was
STOPPING, he saw strange sight In a
little declivity among the rocks stood ff-
teen or twenty birds. The sun, which
came in a huge beam down through the
trees, illumined their red-yelloW feathers
giving them a fiery appearance, so thar
they looked like so many blazing mani
kins standing in a circle. They were fac
ing a single bird which stood In the cen.
ter, the observed OF all observers. This
individual now appeared 10 bow-at least
il bobbed its head up and down in a very
vigorous manncr--and then began a slow.
ludicrous imitation Of dance; lifting It's
feet high In air, shaking its head, spread
ing its wings; now walking sedately, ana
again rushing around the fiercy circle as
though mad. 1t kept up these changes I'M
til 1t sank almost exhausted into the ring
and another bird rushed out to take its
place in the center and continue the danca
which wac not ended until nearly every
bird had gratified Its desire to dance.
The great bustard has beenN seen to go
through singular performance, not only
upon the ground, but at great heights. one
feature of It's extraordinary eVolutions oh
served by a hunter, being a remarkable
plunge from high in the air. The bird
slowly assembled by a spiral flight. ana
when almost out of sight, turned and lit
orally precipitated Itself to the earth.
Down It came like rocket the powerful
wings held near the sides, as though 10
remove ell friction. That II was about to
dash itself on the earth was evident but
when il he'd fallen TO within ten feet OF
the ground the great bird spread It's
wings and stopped as suddenly as though
II had been seized by some invisible enemy.
For single moment the bird seemed 10