Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-22
AN ARIZONA OSTRICH FARM
Second Largest Establishment Of Its Kind
in This Country.
To See an Ostrich Take a "COnstitu-
tiOnal" is q Rare Treat-Pa-
triarch of the Herd.
From the Arizona Graphic.

From the Arizona Graphic.
The Phoenix herd of ostriches inhabits an
alfalfa pasture of forty acres, three miles
north of the city. The herd is second in size
in America, numbering 175 birds, the
largest herd being at Fullerton. Cal, and
| numbering 800 birds.
The first birds brought from South Africa
to America for breeding purposes came to
California in 1882. In 1898 fourteen chicks
from this herd were brought to Phoenix for
exhibition, and were bought by Josiah Har-
bert, who proposed to breed them. The
purchase was made during the summer, and
Mr.. Harbert put the young birds in coops,
carefully covered the coops with cloths, to
keep out the sun, and drove out to his
home at Alhambra. All the birds but two
were smothered to death during the trip. 1t
being impossible to distinguish between the
sexes in young ostriches, and fearing he
had no male bird, Mr. Harbert purchased
one of the male birds brought from Africa
The 1I5 birds constituting the present herd
are his descendants. He has been honor
ably retired, and with the dignity BETTING
his patriarchai position he knocks the stuff
ing out of everything that comes within his
reach. 1t was not long ago that he en-
gagged Mr. Pckrell president of the Arizona
Ostrich Company, in an impromptu scrap"
anu while MI TiCkIeli IS u HUSKY OlI MIRA
himself and was armed with wooden
pitchfork, old loom Paul hit him one welt
and knocked him out for several days
The ostrich is a monogamist. At least,
he has but one wife at a time. The match
making is arranged by the human keeper
who puts each pair of birds in a separate
corral. Mr.. Ostrich is likely to consider the
question of marriage for some days after
he is introduced to his partner, and much
thought on the question colors his shins and
beak a bright red When he finally deter
mines that family should be reared, he
digs nest in the ground. He then drives
his mate up to the nest and calls her attan-
ton to 1t by giving her kick. If she is
dull Of comprehension, and she usually is,
he continues to kick her and scold her, and
his voice much resembles the roar of the
lion. He is often compelled to go to the cx-
IRENE of kicking her over the eight-foot
fence forming the corral
She finally, however, sees her duty and
begins to lay eggs which average three
pounds in weight. The first two or three
eggs are not fertile and will not hatch
This fact, curiously enough, is known to
the mother and she lays them outside the
nest. But in this there is wonderful pro-
vision of nature. On the African desert
the nesting of the wild birds is done in the
hills or mountains, far from water and the
haunts of beasts or men. But while the nest
may be many miles from water, the first re-
quirement of the chick when he comes from
the shell is water or its equivalent in liquid
food. Hence the necessity of the two or
three sterile eggs, which the mother breaks
after her brood is born, and on which the
chicks live until they are strong enough
to travel.
Left to her own Judgment the hen lays
perhaps ten eggs, al the rate of one in two
days, and when the nestslooks comfortably
full the incubation begins. But the artifice
of man deceives her. The keeper sys-
tematically takes the eggs from the nest
and as long as her. work seems to be I'M
finished the hen continues to produce eggs
BY this system two hens the Phoenix
farm last year produced fifty eggs each.
She cannot be deceived. however as to the
sterile eggs. If they are put in the nest
she will continue to pull them out and
will finally quit laying, sand abandon the
nest. ~ r &c
About fifteen eggs constitute Setting
and the period of jncubat ton is forty-two
days. The male bird 5rdoes the greater
share of this labor He takes charge of
the nest at ) o'clock in the evening and re-
mains with it until 0 O'Clock in the morn
ing. when the female stakes charge. AT
noon he relieves her forsan hour, while she
lunches, and she then keeps house until
o'clock. ssa
One of the most interesting characteris-
tics of the ostrich is the manner In which
he takes what may be called hts "consti-
tutioNal" Every morning at sunrise the
herd of young males engages in foot race,
which concludes in a combination cake
walk and reel. In single file they will race
around the pasture at a two-minute gait,
until thoroughly limbered up, and then sud
denly forming in a group go through gyra-
tons that suggest the waltz, the Virginia
reel, the cake walk and the happy jag"
1t Is a grotesdue performance. but there is
| singular grace in the birds play, and
when they are In full plumage. with their