FEATHERED ATHLETES 79 



Another most interesting species of jockey is the 

 ^ oxpecker or rhinoceros-bird, a native of South 

 Africa, and supposed to belong to the Starling 

 family. This jockey prefers to ride on big game, 

 such as cattle or rhinoceroses ; and his delight is not 

 so much in riding as in the insects he finds on the 

 animals' backs. Recently, however, this once use- 

 ful jockey has become a great nuisance, and has 

 fallen into disgrace, since he has learned to love 

 not only ticks but blood. He now attacks the cat- 

 tle and horses wherever he finds them, and perse- 

 cutes them terribly. While the thick hide of the 

 rhinoceros is proof against the strong beaks of 

 these jockey-birds, those of the more delicate- 

 skinned domesticated animals is thin and easily 

 pricked. 



In America and England the starlings and 

 * blackbirds do the jockey work. In East Africa 

 the egrets swarm on to the elephants to pick off 

 the ticks. The animals seem to enjoy the presence 

 of their faithful bird friends and riders. In the 

 early days of American history, herds of buffalo 

 were followed by blackbirds and cow-birds, and 

 old hunters claim that these animals were never 

 disturbed as long as birds were on their backs. It 

 seems that the birds left the animals only in time of 



