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 peculiar circum- 
stances, of the Chaparral Cock ( Geococcyx calif ornianus), commonly 
known as the “ Road-Runner,” 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 ftamed Davies* being engaged in olive- 
culture, occupied the “ Old Mission ” at San Diego, around which is 
a dense growth of caotus, 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: per-root! per-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 calif ornianus. 
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 vanquished 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 retire satisfied. For its own 
dainty consumption it woidd 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 
