The Washington times., 1920-06-27

United States Bureau Of Agriesitsre
4 made VIA the view Of deterninins
the'r value as, food birds sad the ecst Of
and Possibilities In cuitivatins them ne
suGa number OF very interesting and sur
,stsipa discoveries we're made as TO their
bsbiif and customs. Some Of the most
stIl,irE Of the things the average reader
wouid never have believed about this cur
icas -rrvival Of the giant winxless prehis-
t,rlc Ards have only recently been made
HnoRn md are told here for the first time
Perhaps the most astonishing discovery
Wss tha, the ostrich has most rigid code
OF insrit al morality. Tue eternal triangle
is not permitted to exist in the ostrfch
.uiyililstjon asy longer thsa II takes the
wlonged mate to eradicate Il with wing
ai,6 log As the life of the ostrich Is led
sItirely in the open, the triangle motif,
once 1t appears. Ia equally entirely impos
sible OF concealment.
Ostriches, at least those In captivity. are
strictly homogeneous, II was found. When
they mate IL Is with no reservations. They
mate for good and all till death doth them
part The male chooses his partner when
about four years old, and from that time
On will tolerate no influence either from
philandering mated birds or wouldbe fas-
cipating bachelors.
When such an invasion OF the home
occurs the two birds battle until one
Is killed, all the others looking on without
attempting TO interfere and In solemn
: silence Occasionally the female pun
-ishes unfaithfulness on the part Of her
mate by killing him. The male has also
been known TO mete out the same pun
ishment 10 his feathered wife after he
he's made away with the interiopsr.
The rules Of such : combat seem to be
fixed as lefnitely as a ring battle under
the Marquis of Queensberry code; these
rules are mover departed from. The fight
is said 20 ne most thrilling spectacle.
The ostrichs main weapons OF offense and
defense are bis powerful legs. With these
lie stii':as forward. first with one and then
with t'.e c,ner. His anatomy Is such that
n "a -7p' kick backward with the slightest
foc.oc =! i"Ine,
: ~ NC .i decides that his home
has 20. irvaac, or that he must kin
rival &c i3sucs formal challenge by sit.
t,"s T. ~r. ;grIading but his wings. draw
- rs soaG bss against his body and
~. rIIg h015,s 'Ty.
r mis- hc beats bis head against his
s~". o'.r drum like. resoundins thumps
,,y', n;a rirys IN the air. The other
T.. a',&G~pw at 8 safe distance. Then
n',c,>.J ltr,s ohis feet ON bis
...,: cnme. hasrsa, screaming hiss.
'.ni i.t ,.:y ne poupces upon his enemy.
70 '7;;l@ cry Is curiously boarse and
'r,ra- 81. and ,hc sir is soon filed with the
sori" r.; lhc fray.
~ ~" tstriches advance, striking at
aa", s',rr They direct their powerful
r,"r,. ,. ra~h others chests. for there the
" ANS sre protected only by his
.tc,;:l hide There is no covering muscu-
Iatu:c Va the breast The two toes on each
foot each with a nail as hard as iron, rip
the fer,hers and tear the skin, usually at
the tir:t blow. The birds strike again and
again. Blood begins to dye the feathers
red. then to run in tiny rivulets down their
pink or gray legs
They circle about, their kissing filing
the air Feathers fly. The weaker bird
perhaps will stagger and go down for
moment The stronger kicks at his OPP
rcnent's head If he misses. the wicked
toes tear long, bleeding gashes In the neck
rerhoas the home invader. or protector as
ire ca @ may be. is able to struggle to his
feet and renew the fight. But soon the
skin IS 'orn away; there is one more good
kick and he falls.
The victor, still kicking batters TO death
his foe. then. bleed ding aud scared, feath-
ers torn from his body in many places, his
legs bright with his own blood and that of
his .ival, he stalks toward tho nninine
object of the fight.
II It ia the interloper who has zen he>
takes the lady for whom he has cattled.
In captivity the widow of an ostrich or
tho widower, takes new mate frequently
If they can win or find one. In the wild
state observers say different situation
prevails The bereaved bird lives there.
after by itself, mourning solitarily the dear
dCrarted.
But this is not the only example OF
we'll developed domestic system The par
ent birds take turn In Matching the eggs.
The male takes the night watch the fe-
l. ,IN,, y, todtu "