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120 THE CONDOR VoL. X The young chicks exhibit this movement, but are not at first anywhere near as perfect as the adult birds, showing that an education is necessary to perfect that which without doubt is an instinctive character. The manager of the Cawston Ostrich Farm informs me that their chicks, tho many generations removed from the wild birds, exhibit the dance movement, but very imperfectly, scarcely running any distance before squatting down, as if there were dawning within them an instinct, a reflex of the narrowed horizon permitted by the inclosure in which their parents have been reared. Single birds or a few birds rarely make as good a performance as when there are several together, thus giving proof that there is a factor of suggestion or imitation requisite to make the best actors. That these movements are the outcome of excessive vitality or playfulness is scarcely to be accepted; there must be utility if not necessity in the action. In this connection I will say that I am strongly attracted to the suggestion of an esteemed colleague, J. E. Duerden, of the Transvaal. Mr. Duerden states that he is of the opinion that the waltz is simply a protective movement calc.ulated to render the bird less liable to be seized by any of its natural enemies that are so common in the habitat of the bird. The ostrich inhabits open or bush-covered lands that are also the home of the lion, the brush cat and the leopard. These animals capture their prey by springing upon it. The ostrich, as was demonstrated by the case cited in my opening remarks, when surprised jerks itself so quickly from side to side that its pursuer finds it almost impossible to arrange its spring, or in case of a human hunter, for him to aim accurately. This is the character of the defence when the bird is first aroused; but let attack press more persistently and the bird darts off with great rapidity for a long distance and then suddenly changes its direction of flight so quickly that no sort of hunter could be prepared for it. Much less successful is the defence or combat of the captive, or the ostrich 'at -bay. Then the bird depends on kicking forward, hoping that with its powerful foot it will down its enemy and at the same time tear open the body with the claw- like nail on the one great toe. Kicking would be of little avail with the lion or leopard. So the ostrich trusts to nimbleness of legs to dodge the spring, and then by fleetness of foot to get away from the neighborhood. Alameda, Cahfornia. THREE NES TS OF NOTE FROM NORTHERN CALIFORNIA By HARRY H. SHELDON E; were camped, the two of us, on the Lagunitas Creek, close to the mouth of the Little Carson, on the first Saturday night in May, 1907, the open- ing of the trout season. It seemed but a short time after bacon and coffee that our pipes went out and darkness had turned to the gray of early morn- ing. An occasional thrush would give a short whistle as tho just awakening, and, to further tell us the time had come to crawl from our warm blankets, a horned owl gave a series of hoots as a farewell to his night of depredations. Moving briskly to keep warm we were soon thru with breakfast and wended our way up the Little Carson which by noon had afforded us a nice mess of trout. We then lay ourselves at the base of a hoary pine to have lunch. Up to this in- stant fishing had been the main feature of the trip, but upon hearing the pleasant