The Natchitoches enterprise., 1917-07-12
A Visit to an Ostrich Farm


trich farm, We'll, | had no idea it woulC
be as interesting as it was Of cours
l had seen two or more ostriches in cir
cuses. and went mostly because | knew
my boys would enjoy it as we'll az prof
| it b. The lesson. Mrs. R0yce'S lovely
home is right across from the park il
| South Pased3n she owns large inter
ests i. it, and up till a ew months ago
her Dcochet-.n-ldw managed it. But
the business came to a good deal of Z
standSt,ii, due to the fact that autos ir
whicG this community and others
aboIat, are not very conducive to the
pre- setva,t0I OF pIumes, and the fashion
has ,g...zI IJr that reason. So he has
goEe to linn. u DO some thing else, bat
she retains hec stock, aad of course we
saw more with her, than we would
have with the ordinary streams OF
tourists.
The park is tropical as far as posi-
bic, in the hills, which are covered with
scrub oak, and sand and boulders. The
grounds surrounding Lhe pens and
breeding farms are grassy and thickly
covered with giganic pa ms, and paper
and eucalyptus trees, tie brightest of
tropical flowers and shnIbbery. There
are several water gardens and pools,
with gold fish and water flowers and
three or four big aviaries, with choice
birds of every variety. The winding
paths thru the park lead you into de-
ightful hooks, and the palm trunks
and other trees are covered with vines,
asparagus sprengerie, and creepers,
which made me think OF the old grape
vines down on Chaplin lake.
Thereis rustic Japanese tea house,
photographer studio, etc, and | was
surprised at the extensiveness of the
grounds.
Mr.. Cawston, an EngEshman, brought
the first ostriches from y frica about 81
years ago, and as subsequently, a duty
Of 500 dollars bird was charged, prac-
tically every bird in the u. S. is a des-
cendent of one of these first fifty birds.
There were two African birds there,
fine large ones, with their legs and
skins bright pink. whereas all the
American birds had blue tinge. They
weighed up to 300 pounds each, and
had no idea they grew as large as they
do, for guide stood on a fence and
held an orange ten feet in the air, and
a full grown bird could reach it. The
choice males are valued at $2000.O0, so
you see they are quite valuable.
In one large yard were scores of birds !
from 8 to years old, they are turned
in together, and choose their mates at
this season, and when they have done
SO, go in couples thru the shutes to |
separate pens, which are strongly fen
nd XTyIth lo nh ~
our back yard at home. The outer |
fences are cleverly painted to represent |
pyramids, etc, and with the sand, oc-
casional palms etc., there is a very |
foreign look to the place.
The ostrichs never choose but one mate |
ana are always Constant. we saw the |
George and Martha, who are
thirty five and thirty six years old. In
1ther pens were Col, and Mrs. Roose-
gelt, the king and queen of England,
the Tafts, Wilson's, and other cele-
0rities. | must say they are the home
list things / have ever seen, their
enormous scaley legs and disfgured |
.oes, their generally plucked appear
ance, except on tail, wings, and top of
body, their long snakey necks and fiat
'nakey heads. They do look like big
and SO stupid too, twisting
'ver the fences to look at one. Mrs.
Royce selected good guide, who was
,elllng me how strong they kicked, and
exhibited broken member as proof of
/ gentle kick he had received. He said
n a group Of tourists the other day,
me old lady waxed indignant because,
le wouldn't go in a corral and be kick
ID, to show her exactly how they did.
This same old lady inquired later,
Young man, do the birds lay their
'wn eggs?" We saw them drink and
at, and to see the big knobs go down
heir throats pleased the boys, but was
disgusting to me.
The males are all rich black, with
White plumes on the edges of their
wings and tails, the females a dingy
ray. The guide showed US a female
rouched on nest, and we had the un-
sual experience OF having her rise for
drink, it being hot, and of counting
he enormous eggs, eleven, huddled in
scooped hollow in the sand. He told
8 the females sat from six to six, and
egularly father went to work at six,
nd sat all night. Kenneth pondered over
his in his thoughtful way, and when |
he guide asked him why he supposed
ne mother was such an ugly gray, he {
aid logically, cause if she gets on
ne sand, nobody will see her, cause
ne looks so much like it a little way
#, and when the papa bird sets at 7
ight, he's so black he won't show" The !
uide patted his head and said that he 4.
as asked dozen times day why they
ere that color. and not one person in
le dozen could see that for himself,
lough it was exactly the reason. He
sked Kenneth had he seen some be-
,re, and he said, mo, but I've read
oout them-a friend of mine writes |
1oks about them, and | have one" l
ou know Coz. Bidy sent him an auto
raphed copy of Capt. Kilbourne "Baby
strich and the Owl" and he almost T
1ows it by heart. However, it didn't
We that reasoning, for / looked it up
hen we returned the other night. ;, F
The birds are exactly alike until they a
e eleven months old, we saw hund-
IDS of the gawky things. At that age P
Ie female tlrns lighter and the male
ack, and they rapidly change in
oks. We saw tiny ones just cou- {
g of weeks old, and wee twins from il
lie egg. The guide caught a couple +
''babies" about the size and beauty. h
young turkeys, and let Kenneth and O
lex Wlnslow hold them In their arms. h
e also gave them each an egg to hold 3
hich was breathless honor, as they y
eighed 5 pounds. He put cne in a +
ale, and added henseggs, to balance, +
i'd it took forty small zap silk" eggs Ii
balance the scale. The eggs were h
rye and grainy looking, about the T
Ee of cannon balls. The birds set 3
rty odd days, I've forgotten exactly h
w many, and when the shells begin 2
chip, they are snatched out and into
e enormous incubators. as the par D
is are so rough and loveless, they =
ii kill the young chicks by sitting on :,
em, or lifting them and dropping I,
II L ]