The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-04-09
BILL ARp'S LETTER.


the one at Galveston. \ few years ago
these enterprising men gathered and
bought tifty-two young birds i'll Africa.
They chartered II vessel and landed
thirty-nine Of them safely in Calves
ton. The others died. Last fall Mr..
Pearson. who is a Mississippian, brought
over here Il number of adult birds and
also Il pair of those that came from
Africa. He has here now about thirty
which are grown ana married and nave
a number of chicks from two days To
four months old. There is large en-
closure. where the male and female of
manageable age are turned in and kept
until the male makes his choice The
female acquleSceS without any cOquetry
This pair are then transferred to II
smaller Enclosure, where the male at
once begins the process of subjugation
He treats her most shamefully strikes
her, bites her, pursues her and gives the
poor thing no rest. | saw him at it,
aud wanted to take big stick aud maui
him. Complete subjugation is his ami
mus and after he gets that and she
humbles herself to the ground and pleads
He takes her to wife and treats her with
the greatest consideration and Kindness
the restof their married life.
Very many of these birds have mated,
and every pair has separate Enclosure.
say about 50x100 feet. where they raise
their young. The hen lays from twelve
to twenty eggs--lays them ON the ground
in n saucer-lke place, where the sand
has been Scooped out The eggs are in
full view and have no protection When
the litter is all laid the male birds begin
The incuhati6n and sits upon them every
day from 4 p. IN. until 3 O'Clock next
morning. The female then promptly
takes her place and sets from 8 Il. m.
until 4 p. m, but always takes a few
minutes off about noon TO partake of her
dinner which the kceper provides, and
consists of chopped cabbage and clover
hay and small stones and oyster shells.
| forgot to mention that the hen lays
an egg every other day and the time of
incubation is forty days. My son. who
was with me. remarked to the old Eng
lishman that our common hens laid an
egg every day and ON Sunday they laid
two. is that So" said he. Il was not
aware of that 1t is indeed very Won
derful. and howdoes the hen know when
Sunday comes?"
"Oh" said my son, .they hear the
church bells ring"
Wonderful. wonderful" said the old
man with the simplest credulity.
SO devoted is the male bird to his first
love, his fiancee. that he cannot by force,
or persuasion, be induced to take another.
We saw poor, miserable, lacerated hen
IN hospital quarters She had all the
skin torn from her breast and Mr.. Pear
son said the keeper made Il mistake
when he transferred a pair and placed
he wrong female in the Enclosure and the
male tried to kill her Immediately and
liked to have succeeded She was not
his bride and he knew it.
AS seen as the chicks .hreak the eggs
and come forth they sat nothing for
two or three days. The mother takes
them up gently with her bill and warns
hem under her wings or hovers over
hem in the sand. 1 suppose that is
where the expression came from-''un-
der the shadow of thy wing" | saw
but one new born chick. 1t was only
two days old. There were quite Il mum
Der of half-grown birds and they are I'M
graceful, unseemly and almost hideous,
Indeed the adult birds are not much
better after their plumes have been pull
ed out Every nine months they have
60 submit to this degradation, for the
nlumes bring in the revenue. Each male
bird gives but twelve black plumes at n
oicking and these are worth from 81 to
81 each. They are exquisitely beautiful
and if | had been rich | would have
purchased a pair for my bride. The
females are light color of brown and
white and furnished from sixty to one
hundred plumes in a season, but they do
not bring half so much.
Mr.. Pearson says that ostriches well
kept live to he seventy-five years old and
it does not cost much to keep them-not
half as much as it does a horse or COW.
Old Grover Cleveland is largest and
finest bird on the farm. He stands,
when erect. about eleven feet in his
stockings, and his mate Frances. is the
finest female bird. They have raised one
brood and have begun on another. The
Prince of Wales and his wife, Lily
Langtry. are the next best. Then comes
Mark Hanna and wife, and Mckinley
and no wife, for alas, he killed her in a
lit Of nassion and has not yet chosen
another.
Then there are Teddy Roosevelt and
his wife Cuba, and their new born child,
Florida. Next are Admiral Schley and
wife and next Mr.. Pearson pointed OUT
General Wheeler and wife. why, "
said |, General Wheeler hasn't any
wife"
''No, but he wants one all the same,
said he: and next came Bob Fitzsimmons
and wfe-the meanest bird in the lot,
said he, for he is an exception to the
rude, and fights his wife and everything
else in sight.
Well. OF course there was very hne
pair which were called Dewey and wife
and another pair called Sagasta and
wife.
This is enough to give the young PEG,
pie an idea about ostriches and 1t would
have pleased them to see one OF these
noble birds hitched to a beautiful littie
buggy and driven around by Mr.. Pear
son. Altogether, it was revelation &c
me, and / enjoyed my visit 1t scenes
TO me to be n very simple business and
one that does not require any more ge
Mus than raising mules or cows or sheep
Jacksonville is beautiful town. 1T mas