160 Rkpoht 8. a. a. Advancemen't of 8cif.\ck. 



such that %arious strains of feathers are now well recognised, depending 

 upon .such qualities as length, breadth, density, shape, lustre, «fce., and 

 it is with these, small in themselves, but very important commercially, 

 that the ostrich breeder has to work. 



At the present time much attention is being given to the subject 

 of breeding superior birds, as practically all ostrich farmers are also 

 ostrich breeders. High prices, often amounting to several hundred 

 pounds, are given for the best birds to be used for breeding purposes. 

 But the principles underlying these selections are not alwa3^s clearly 

 unflerstood. The general aim and object seems to be to secure all the 

 best feather characteristics combined in a single bird, and as a rule 

 pairs of birds most nearly possessing these are mated in the expectancy 

 of getting the desired combination in the progeny. 



It must be confessed there are many disappointments among 

 breeders of ostriches. Occasionally it will be found that the offspring 

 from two superior birds produce quite inferior feathers ; in other cases 

 onlv a very small proportion of a large number of chicks reared in one 

 season turn out really first-class birds. Even the best breeders can 

 scarcely guarantee that the chicks from their superior pai-ents will 

 themselves be superior. Anxious to retain their reputation, some 

 farmers will not dispose of their chicks, the risk of failures among 

 them being too great. The}' prefer to keep them until the juvenal 

 or even adult feathers are formed, when their character is clearly 

 proved, and, if superior, they then command good prices. 



There is no question that the average standard of the ostrich as a 

 feather-producing animal is being j-apidly raised, as a result of the 

 attention now given to breeding. More superior feathers are being 

 produced than at any previous time. But the intelligent farmer would 

 like to be assured that the actual feather capability of the bird can 

 also l)e increased, that is, that the domesticated ostrich can be made to 

 produce a better feather than ever before. 



At the present stage of ostrich breeding there are two very clearly 

 defined problems calling for settlement: (1) To give the breedei' an 

 assurance that the progeny will at least be the equal of the parents, 

 that is, that the parents will breed true ; (2) to improve, if possible, 

 the progeny beyond the present standard of their parents. The utnK)st 

 that can yet be done is to present some of the principles of breeding in 

 which these problems are included, leaving it to the farmer to make 

 such application of them as he sees fit. Three methods of breeding are 

 known, all of which need to be considex-ed. They are: (1) Seh'ctire 

 lirepdiny, (2) C'ro.w Brpcdiiig, and (3) Hijhridimfion, and a fourth 

 means of improvement is also recognised, namely, MiUafioti. 



Co^iHi-.Tniox Willi Other Countries. 



In the course of the incjuiries the lecturei- stated that connec- 

 tions have been established with ostrich bi-eeders in practically all 

 parts of the world, including Northern Afiica, Southern J^urope^ 

 California, Arizona, Florida, Cuba, South America, Australia and 



