[Vision2020] ostriches and other myths

[Mike Curley]

I appreciate the parallelism of Bruce Livingston's analogies to those of his critics.  As "Chicken Little" is allegorical--figurative, not literal, so too is the ostrich with her or his head in the sand.
Wikipedia says:  There have been no recorded observations of Ostriches putting their heads in the sand. A common counterargument is that a species that displayed this behavior would not survive very long. Ostriches do deliberately swallow sand and pebbles to help grind up their food; seeing this from a distance may have caused some early observers to believe that their heads were buried in sand. Also, ostriches that are threatened but unable to run away may fall to the ground and stretch out their necks in an attempt to become less visible. The coloring of an ostrich's neck is similar to sand and could give the illusion that the neck and head have been completely buried.
 
Several other sites concur that the widely-used example is, indeed, a myth.
 
 
 
 
 
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