Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-10-18
LIFE INA BIG DESERT

~ lASs lA lJlSA DllO01O-A
QUEER CREATURES THAT AMusE. AND
INTEREST THE TRAVELLER.
Insects. Birds and Reptiles Found In
the Sand-Tunny Freaks of the Tn-
rnntula Hawk and the Road Run-
ner-Worrying a Rather.
There's plenty of life on the desert
not crowds of human insects. rushing
and tearing about like crazy ants and
keeping up din day and night that is
enough to drive the whole world mad,
but interesting, sensible, natural life.
full of comedy. tragedy and even humor.
II you feel lonesome. you can find COM
Rany anywhere by turning up rock
or looking under the sagebrush. There's
no lack of ingenious, curious little crea-
lures whose ways are worth studying.
Take the tarantuln hawk, for example.
That's an insect built something like a
wasp, or perhaps more like devils
darning needle" and 1t flies about look
ing for tarantulas just es the hawk scars
about keeping his eye peeled for gopherv
and such provender. When the hawk
sees tarantula, he goes for the big spi-
der, swoops down upon him, stings him
and gets away like fash. The tarantu-i
Ia knows that his only show is to get un-i
der cover, and he legs it for home in
frantic haste. It's fun to see the big,
hairy legged bully duck his head and
paddle off through the sand.
II the tarantula is near his house, he
may escape by getting to it, tumbling In
head first and shutting the door tight,
but he's got to hustle for 1t, because
little Jack the Giant Killer Is hustler
himself and keeps jabbing away at every
jump. II the hairy ogre gets caught out
q great way from his castle, his name IL
Dennis, and he knows it. He fops over
upon his back to make fight. and IL he
could get hold of the hawk in that posi-,
ton he would make short work of the
little chap, hut the hawk sees the trick
and just keeps sailing around and watch
ing for an opening, and when he catches
the spider of his guard he darts in, hits
him lick and gets away like fash.
Sometimes the hawk will pretend to
quit and ay away, but the instant the
shelter whiz! comes the hawk like
bullet and socks it to him in the back OF
the head. A few stings like that do up
the tarantula. He seems to become dizzy
from the poison, staggers few steps and
collapses in hairy heap. His legs twitch
a few times, and that IL the end of his
marvellous career.
I've been calling the hawk "hs' all
along, but It isn't that kind of bird.
The tarantula Nemesis is the female
hawk, so fur as can judge, because aft
er the spider Is knocked out the hawk
proceeds to deposit eggs in the remains,
aud suppose the eggs are Matched BY
the heat OF decomposition. Possibly the
purpose Of laying eggs in defunct ta-
rantula is to provide the young hawks
with grub at the threshold Of life, SO to
speak Whatever the scheme may be, It
is death to the tarantula, and for that
reason nobody ever harms tarantula
hawk. The insects sting is said to be
poisonous to men, but never knew one
to sting a man.
Then there is the road runner, Q joy
ous, sociable little fellow, whose bust
ness in life is worrying rattlesnakes to
death. The road runner Is q bird some
what larger than blue jay, with saucy
topknot and still saucier tail about q
foot in length. He runs as fast as q
horse ordinarily travels, and II he once
gets into the road ahead Of horseman
he will race along for hours and can't
be driven out OF the road. He could
skip aside and get out of the way IL he
wanted to, but he seems to think that it
is his mission in life to keep just ahead
of that horse, and nothing can divert him
from that occupation.
He is not in the least alarmed. and
when he gains too much Of q lead he will
stop and seesaw with his tail and chirrup
merrily until the horse nearly catches
up with him. Then away he goes again,
as il his life depended upon winning the
race. When he wearies Of the sport, he
disappears in the brush.
s was riding across a cactus desert
once when a pair of road runners that
had been racing with me turned out OF
the trail and became suddenly very much
excited about something. They paid no
more attention to me, and rode up near
enough to see what was going on. They
had run across big diamond back rat
tier and were preparing to have fun with
him. One of them had struck the snake
with his sharp bill and the diamond bach
had promptly coiled himself in defen.
sive attitude and was springing his rat-
tie wickedly. One of the birds remained
near the snake. jumping about and max.
ing great show OF hostility. but keep
ing beyond reach all the time, while the
other gathered little lunches Of dry cac-
tus. with spines as sharp as needles and
almost ms hard, which he dropped close
to the reptile.
The road runner was as busy as the
old boy in gale Of wind. and in a few
minutes he had piled a regular little
corral OF cactus spines all around the
Then the pair of them be-
gan to tantalize the snake, and flying at
him they provoked him into striking at
them, with results disastrous to himself,
for every time he launched out he hit
into the cactus and got stuck full of the
spines.
When the rattlesnake had just about
got crazy and was reckless Of his guard,
the road runners few up, lowered over
him and darted down ut him whenever
they saw good chance to hit him.
Their. sharp bills did great execution, and
it wasn't long before they had the rattle
snake laid out as cold as wedge. They