Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1912-05-15
DESERT BIRD SNAKES ENEMY
Habits and Haunts-How Hc Slnys
Deadly Rattle Snake.
(John Kershaw, Jr., in Charleston
Sunday News

lJohn hershaw, Jr., In Charleston
Sunday Mews.(
DO you know anything Of the re-
cord of the California road runner?
lis he horse?"
Bless your soul, no; he Is Just a
bird. But among all the birds there
Is none more useful to men than Is
the "GeococcyX Californianus, alias
road runner, alias war bird, alias
medicine bird.
It's long jaunt a CaroIinian will
have to take to make a tirst-hand
acquaintance Of this marvellous bird.
His home is in Southern California,
Arizona, New Mexico, and in Mexico,
and always in tho desert, or at
least that IS his preference Of homes.
Even there he Is becoming rare, and
this despite the fact that in most Of
the states in which he lives he is
Cor recently was) protected by law.
or course bird that men find it
eXpedient to protect by law must
have some other value than that
emanating from sentiment West
orners, by the way, are not noted for
any surplus amount Of the above
named emotion.
If you should go out to the far
Southwest and should hunt up the
road runner, several things would
be necessary If you would meet with
success. First, you must know Just
what to look for. Then, secondly,
you must know where to look. And
lastly, you must know just how to
look.
In general appearance the road
runner is not unlike the cuckoo
family, in fact he is sometimes call
ed the ground cuckoo. He Is very
much larger, no, ever, than either of
the cuckoos that we are familiar
with in this state. You should keep
an eye out for a larg, bird, of slen-
der build, and of brownish color,
thickly spotted on the back and sides
with black marks. He is Quilt for
speed,' possessing long legs (unlike
a crane) and long neck When
you glimpse such bird, and note,
in addition, that, like the "mocker,"
it continually nirts its tail, then be
sure that you have discovered the
road runner.
TO find him you are almost COM
PEELED to secure horse, and mount
ing 1T you must expect to travel some
distance across the gently undulating
desert until the town is left far be-
hind. The runner does not fancy
mans society now He has been
run with the dogs too much. Way
back in the desert and preferably
along one of the numerous dry river
beds, you may discover him, but not
often near settlements.
Instead Of craning ones neck look
ing up until the saw-edged collar
has cut a furrow in your neck, the
searcher must look closely upon the
ground for the runner. AS matter
OF fact, 1t Is an extremely rare thing
to find one Of these birds of the
ground. When hard pressed by dogs
ne Will rise on wing and fly Il short
distance with spasmodc, jerking
sort Of flight
Even when in possession Of the
above facts the road runner is not
easy to become acquainted with. In
color he is nearly the shade Of the de-
scrt, being few shades darker, and
which fact makes him harder to see.
But the most potent reason why he
is hard to study Is because OF his
shyness and neetncs Of foot. When
flushed he will instantly dash off
literally like fash" Run?
Whew! He can outrun anything on
two feet in this country! That is
true. The road runner has long
since been conceded the first place for
fleetness of foot among tho species
Of birds inhabiting North America.
For this reason they were in danger
at one time Of beins; cXtermina. ed
by sportsmen, who, on swift horses,
pursued them with greyhOunds.
Eventually the Pacific States were
forced to enact laws to save them
from the sportsmen. But it was not
because Of their nectness Of foot, or
their beauty, or for any reason in
sen timent that they are protected.
They are protected because they full
fiji function among birds that is
unique In many respects, and which
Is a valuable function in the far
West.
The road runner Is a deadly enemy
OF the rattlesnake. There Is the
bitterest hatred between the two in
habitants Of the desert, bare and
brown.
And because the wonderful bird
Is said to never pass o, r an op-
portunity to kill his sna aship the
Western rancher and cowboys pro-
tect him.