Miss Miller's Story of a California Bird. 109 

 STRANGE STORY OF A CALIFORNIA BIRD. 



BY MISS FANNY MILLER. 



An interesting story respecting the habits, under pecviliar circum- 

 stances, of the Chaparral Cock (Geococci/x californianus), commonly 

 known as the " Road-Ranner," is related by a California lady, who 

 takes pleasure in reproducing any interesting matter regarding the 

 natural beauties of her native State. 



It appears that a family named Davies, being engaged in olive- 

 culture, occupied the " Old Mission " at San Diego, around which is 

 a dense growth of cactus, passing through which, one day, Mr. 

 Davies heard a strange noise resembling the sound made by a pair 

 of Pigeons billing and cooing, winding up with a succession of 

 short, quick, jerky notes, thus : 2^^^'-'>'oot ! jjer-root ! per-root ! The 

 listener searched until he discovered the cause of his surprise, which 

 was a nest of four young birds of the species Geococcyx californianus. 

 He took them home, and succeeded easily in raising them in a coop, 

 like chickens, the old ones feeding them. Their beautiful plumage 

 soon attracted the attention of a number of visitors to the Old 

 Mission, and notes of the captives have already been given in the 

 San Francisco papers. The birds were finally released, but they 

 regularly returned at night to the coop, and lingered around, be- 

 coming satisfied habitues of the barnyard. Two of them died. 

 The two remaining fought until one vanqxiished the other, which 

 for a while repaired to the cactus, but returned with the nest-making 

 season. In the mean time the sole remaining bird had become so 

 selfish in its attachment to Miss Davies, that it became a nuisance 

 to the household. It would allow no living thing near her, showing 

 its jealousy by darting fiercely at the object of its hatred, pecking 

 it furiously with its sharp bill, whether cat, dog, or child, oftentimes 

 drawing blood, after which it would retii-e satisfied. For its own 

 dainty consuu)ption it would bring in beetles, bugs, spiders, and 

 when anything larger was captured, — for instance, a lizard or small 

 snake, — it would fly to its mistress, strut around her until noticed 

 and petted for its enterprise, during which it cooed like a Parrot 

 whose feathers are being rubbed down. With the returned mate it 

 began a nest on a small table by the window, in the young lady's 



