THE OSrRlCH. lol 



foiitouls of the cavity till they arc reduced to a small 'si/c. In tlie cassowaries and 

 American ostrich, the stones and other hard bodies which those birds swallow must, from 

 tlieir weight, force their way into the gizzard, which has a ca\'ity adapted to receive 

 them ; but in the African ostrich all such substances must remain in the cardiac cavity, 

 both from its being the most depending part, and from the cavity of the gizzard being 

 too small to admit of their entering it. The cardiac cavity, in the instance which I 

 examined, contained stones of A'arious sizes, pieces of iron, and halfpence ; but between 

 the grinding surfaces of the gizzard there were only broken glass beads of different 

 colours, and hard gravel mixed with food." 



Though the ostrich is generallj' admitted to go faster than the swiftest horse, yet the 

 j\rabs on horseback" contrive to run these birds down, their feathers being valuable, and 

 theii" flesh not to be despised. The best hoi'ses are trained for this chase. When the 

 hunter has started his game, he puts his horse on a gentle gallop, so as to keep the 

 ostrich in sight, without coming too near to alarm it and put it to its full speed. 



On finding itself pursued, the bii-d begins to run at first but gently, its wings, like two 

 arms, keeping alternate motion with its feet. It seldom runs in a direct line, but, like the 

 hare, doubles, or rather courses, in a circular manner ; vrhile the hunters, taking the 

 diameter, or tracing a smaller circle, meet the bird at unexpected turns, and with less 

 fatigue to the horses. This chase is often continued for a day or two, when the poor 

 ostrich is starved out and exhausted^, and finding all power of escape impossible, it 

 endeavours to hide itself from the enemies it cannot avoid, running into some thicket, or 

 burying its head in the sand ; the hunters then rush in at full speed, leading as much as 

 possible against the wind, and kill the birds with clubs, lest the feathers should be soiled 

 with blood. 



'SI. Adanson saw two tame ostriches, which had been kept two years at the factory of 

 Podor, on the south bank of the Niger. He says : — " They were so tame that two little 

 blacks mounted both together on the back of the largest ; no sooner did he feel their weight, 

 than he began to run as fast as ever he could, till he carried them several times round the 

 village ; and it was impossible to stop liim, otherwise than by obstructing the passage. 



" This sight pleased me so well, that I would have it repeated ; and, to try their 

 strength, I made a full-grown negro mount the smallest and. two others the largest. 

 This burden did not seem to me at all disproportioned to their strength. At first they 

 went at a moderate gallop ; when thej' were heated a little the}'- expanded their wings, as if 

 it were to catch the wind, and they moved with such fleetness that they seemed to be off 

 the ground. Everybody must some time or other have seen a partridge run, consequently 

 must know that there is no man whatever able to keep up with it ; and it is easy to 

 imagine, if this bii-d had a longer step, its speed would be considerably augmented. 

 The ostrich moves like the partridge, with both these advantages ; and I am satisfied 

 that those I am speaking of would have distanced the fleetest race-horses that were ever 

 bred in England. It is true, they would not hold out so long as a horse ; but, without 

 all doubt, they would be able to perform the race in less time. I have frequently beheld 

 this sight, which is capable of giving one an idea of the prodigious strength of an ostrich, 

 and of showing what use it might be made of, had we but the method of breaking it and 

 managing it as we do a horse." 



The foot of the ostrich is not a little remarkable. It is divided into two toes only, and 

 each toe, well padded beneath, is armed at the extremity with what may properly be 

 called a hoof. The whole strongly resembles the foot of the camel. 



Another point of resemblance between the quadruped and the bird may also be 

 mentioned. The camel has a callous naked protuberance on the chest, on which, 

 when reposing, the animal throws a great portion of the weight of the bodj'. This 

 protuberance occurs in the ostrich. 



2 G 2 



