The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1929-08-23
Love IN THE DESERT
THEME OF CAMERA
HUNTER DISCOURSE
Tells Interesting Tale of Ostrich
Love-When Number Of Eggs
In Nest Displeases Male He
Kicks a Few Out. Hyena Worst
Enemy.

Love in the desert has always
been a popular theme for flaming
fiction stories, but ostrich love in
the desert may be said to be a
TACT even stranger than fiction.
Martin Johnson, noted camera
hunter, returns from Africa with
some interesting stories of this
unique bird, the ostrich love in the
desert may be said to be a fact
even stranger than fiction.
Martin johnson, noted camera
hunter returns from Africa with
some interesting stories Of this
unique bird, the ostrich, and its
love and family habits. Some of
them are told pictorially in "Sim-
Ja,' which viii be shown at the
Orpheum Theatre in PlentywoOu
Tuesday evening. 9th.
During the breeding season one
male ostrich "keeps company
with four on five hens, who are
au Eeerly anxious to make q COCOA
impression upon their lord and
master. Those Iove-smitten hens
-milce and pIeen and flirt outrage
0usly with his majesty, and all
though he pletends to be indiffci
ent to the ladies of his harem, he
keeps an observing eye on them
none The less.
Indifference vanishes, however,
OH the appearance of another beau
particularly if the newcomer
happens TO be a younger ostrich.
II the E0ungster makes any eyes
rt the ladies. the head oil the fam
lily rises in arms and begins to
r-8nce around MISUNDERSTANDING
his rival with ierky tbrusts of his
lee. He is really a very formid-
able fighter and the younger cock
never fights but dances sE.ttishlg
Off, pretending that the ladies hold
no attraction for him whatsoever
Nests a Large Shallow Pit
The hens soon BEGIN their labor
on the nest. which is q large, shall
low pit, scraped cut of the sane
/ and gravel by the feet of thc
birds The one nest serves fol
the whole family and becomes con.
sideTablg crowded when the hens
begin to fill it up with eggs.
The cock takes his turn Will
the hens Ioosting on the eggs. H,
becomes annoyed when too many
4 eggs invade the nest, and otter
kicks q number of them out
About twenty eggs fill the nest
but the Over-Zeal0us hens frequent
. ly crowd as many as forty into It
much to the DISGUST OF the cock
who cleans half Of them out.
Although it is against the law
I'm South and British East Afric;
TO rob an ostrich nest, the native
do so whenever they are out O.
sight Of authorities. Tt is sal,
/ that ostriches win never return T.
| o nest which has been robbed, bu
. Mr.. Johnson explains that if tn
T0bber is careful not TO touch tn
+ eggs which are left in the nest
the ostrich does not appear t
/ know the difference.
The hyena is probably the wors
! enemy Of the ostrich in this par
ticular. He is so destructive tina
he breaks more of the eggs tina
/ he can eat.
And, as the ostrich builds hi
nest in the open, as far as pos
sible from any sign of cover, It
occasionally stampeded over b
herds of running game, zebra, an
telOpes and wild-beasts, and tn
/ eggs destroyed.
ROOsts for AZ Days
After fOrty-two days Of roOstin
the ostrich matches the eggs, an
the awkward little chicks emerg,
weak and lettering, with ridicl
.ous long, unsafe legs and wobbl,
! slender necks. They stagger ain
y iessly about for some days, cas-
;, ORGY for any carniverous animal
AS for the parents, they civ
way entirely to their outrageou
vanity, their pride in their paren
hood being much greater tina
theie affection for their Offspring
I'm fact they have so little COZ
S Germ for the well being of the
children that it is not surprisin
: to find families breaking ana.
: shortly later, the chicks driftin
S away from their strangely indi
n ferent parents.
e In "Simba" some unusual clos
!. ups Of the ostrich in his desc
n home are shown