The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-25


for the shrike that means the winged Herod.
stu they will never XII butcher bird. be.
when butcher bird ls Killed its murderous
| spirit goes abroad In the atmosphere. to the
detT a Of he human gt, race t,,n,. ,,,,,.,.,
some interesting observations made by fruit
grower In this county The man said that the
| no doubt known TO everv bird in the regions
yherc, tho butcher birds i've. and tod the
| nUcks Of Rodnnches scatter in fright at the
sight o. a shrtkC, while Iinnets and wrsns were
IL 1.FFSy e th s S ssn
t9n was atsHStsd OF RIusbirds In s an
gTgIt;i and 9suaGhcd harliiGfly INTO tho air.
! coming straight toward the birds They had
Of 6is reach lie gave chase al but Il ~as to no
purpose, Tor they had discovered him in time.
M af we're to rfs hSa
bqr's canary hlrds pear!y out Of their wits.
The birds were IN their cage. which hung
dNsn -thsm. pausins and lowering mo-
ment on wing close e the glass, The poor
moment painting, upon the, floor OF their cage.
Last winter while was huskinG corn from
hove u T SSCa esFi hours e w6 ce Gs
the TOP Of corn shock near. and seemed very
boo TSs to s N,a ESf tSe %ou I'D
tho ground. AZ many as seven we're counted
triGpt It's provision. q, different points. Two
weeks ;htsr. while gathering corn. the same
on hs tie n SroT%d S m
ton on shock not more than fo.ty feet away
from us Ia tearing down shock Q large
upon It and struck 1t with Its beak. nuttering
along along over IT. striking it as ran; nntii tho
along with 1t by hopping along the ground.
Toward the last the birds actions were not
There is much curious intofmation to he
leaned from studying the common road run
ner q California. Arizona and New Mexico
known In parts Of the s"uthwest a. tho chap
! nrral cock The Ipdians call It the bad spirit
fomo natural history books among euckoos, |
hn, tho shor; legs an 1 feet Of the cpckoos are
the Southwest. The cuckoos live in dense
thlckets and hedges. while the road runner |
thH Weather is varmss; and no ground dryy.st
road runner i. a beantiiulv plnmed bird, <
over sInbaRsi Held looks Something iiEea
smnil monaghan PLEASANT. only 1t has the |
strut ID similar to that OF woodpecker, 1t |
has long. sharp bill like raven q and claws |
ba nn With r9Gns only much laTsSr
londness tor gore. 1t IL daring bird. and
one, OF the most wonderful in saeacity. L |
peck q gopher 10 death In a minute. while its
attacks a. upon snakes are almost beyond belief
1unners on the arid plains that have com
IA osed the death Of great ten. pound rattle
nnd b h T4s ny ny snnte
asleep on the IL L desert sands, will silently set
about surrounding the reptlls with the SHINES
hundreds Of cactus spines around snake Will
continue for hours. and It is done thoroughly.
rounded. It is tantalized TO waking. In an
effort to get away 1t will dart into the little bar:
and 1 cactus act Vita and . m rage @
twisting. maddened reptile now and then de-
sharp bIl or its powerful wings. When at last
the bird has peSked out the snakes eyes and
ard proceed 10 eat his snakeship up.
n Iny eSGs Of the the picture
lark. with manv horizontal tlscks OF white. Its
glossy black tail foot IN length is held up
der TO, steer the birds fleet passage over tho
ground. Tho swfs Jack rabbit. for a lOo-yard
runner will not waste Its strength 10 long rae
ng, but shoots with arrowy speed Z? its covert
n0n he sa 9an k. It's hdns
bush. and the serried bayonets that guard the
ncca., All these plants Of the desert furnish
bird and It's family Wary and fierce as it is by
nature. It aeems 70 know well that it Is Of
|
i certain confidence and II is easily tanned.
becomes semi domestic. and is mans sure ally
tnS ,ha
houses 1t is worth dozen lazy cats to the
NJ xican ranchero.
many broad. still feathers. not Of plumes. Its
owner has TO get living. and cannot afford to
bird tails. swings IRON Side TO to .de ike
4 broat oar! the bold. iLdustrlops'cock turns
l corner. No loatman ever feathered an oar
m N a I'm |
urn; no rope, walker ever used a balancing
Iole more adroitly. With it the road runner y
make tho sharnest pnEe In ito course. zigzaG.
:inE almost lightning like. across your lald Of
OK aieid as is rossib,s to this .bird. Witch Hf
iSIH 3, T. "a airy gTac" ke keen skater oyer
,enturrqs bird nigrates aioct several hun
1red miles southwark much after the manner
Il. ne Mid Irksy II If found in TP%r along
. The Smithsonian ornitholoctsts will lind the
'tudy Of the vultureS OF the desert fruitful and
econ raued the International boundary Com,
Mission in rs work Of rssarveyinR the houn-
@ SnS reoFed 1' ths 0p the w6r
.powleise Of American yutures was pretty
nsa'gre. after all They had no. enough ,ms
enormous rapacious birds. for the, CON mission
T ,Ssv an1iogs TO GO on na9 ntsh rs survey
II yulture. on the ,Cccorah desert along the
between California and Lowe CALI
orIlh lnit Hdu mover been CLASSIFIED. lneSo |
,lrds nrc generally known a. COrorah vul-
ures. They are thought to be the !argest and
most powerful American birds. They are do
,rrihed as being rs large as tho condor nj the
south American Andes.
Few 81 these birds arc left in California. and
hey are not numerous even In that Fart Of |
he tocopab Desert or in the Cocopah Noun. |
aims. 1t has besn remar ed that the Gocopah |
IA, ire is n cOwarlly bird. bur the Interna- |
tiC''l Boundary ON nissioners did not think |
70 after observing one Of those vultureS fight
rnttIesnako II was In the early moining
The big bird had seized the snake behind
he head and was struggling inward will, It's
Hrthing deadly burden. II seemed to know
VAS heavy as the rcptle was nearly ak feet |
eng. The great Unions Of the vnltura waved |
Nrdly as II slowly assembled from tho noun. |
ain mesa. Although large in size these Wi.
ureS are not so strong as they'auuear to lie. |
y and NJ md M went tina bird and the snake |
The, grin of the bird on the snakes body WAS
TO- Of the best The snake seemed to lie |
quirminC from If rHptor's tnlons nj least |
TO enable II - srrika at the great |
'ird. The triangular h al of the snake was |
'eop 20 rccoil and dart At the mass 81 feathers
I dIl this once or twice. AMI then with a |
hriek tho vulture lroup"d it, prev. The bird
var thvII probably 200 feet Dr 50 a owe ;hc Oh. |
1orNd The men hoow were then treated tc
src 'rle seldom seen anywhere. Few hirds |
ut II vulruIo could ACCOMPLISH such q feat |