190 



STORIES ABOUT BIRDS. 



But he is so foolish as to keep running from one side to the other. The 

 hunter, meanwhile, rides straight on, and when his horse is knocked up, 

 another hunter takes up the game, and so on, allowing the poor bird no rest. 

 Sometimes, in a fit of despair, he hides his head in the sand. 



And ostriches have even been seen to swim, a fact not generally known. 



'^h/r.'/:-^^^^ 'Vi- 



THE AMERICAN OSTRICH. 



One more thing we might tell you before wq bid good-bye to the ostrich. 



If he chances to live near a cultivated spot, he is not a very pleasant 

 neighbour. He will go striding on his long legs into the fields of grain, and 

 pick it all out, leaving nothing but the bare stalk. The farmer is very much 

 enraged, and goes out with his gun, to see if he can get a shot at him. But 

 the ostrich is very cunning. He bends down his neck as he eats so that he 

 cannot be seen, and generally contrives to get away in safety. 



