Letters, Extracts, Notices, &^c. 481 



the headwaters of the Ob^ descended to Barnaul. Dr. Finsch's 

 article on the birds of Western Siberia (Verb, zool.-bot. 

 Ver. in Wien, xxix. p. 128) enumerates 273 spceies and 

 contains ample notes. 



The Mode of Incubation of the Ostrich. — It being still the 

 prevailing idea, even among the most recent authorities*, 

 that the Ostrich [Struthio] is polygamous, and that the male 

 performs the whole duty of incubation, it may be useful to 

 give publicity to the subjoined extract from Mr. Cawston's 

 ' Ostrich-Farming in California,^ as to the habits of this bird 

 on the thriving Ostrich-farms of Norwalk and South Pasadena 

 near Los Angeles : — 



"Early in the year, just as spring dawns, a pair will begin 

 to build a nest, or rather to scrape one out of the ground. 

 The male bird rests his breast-bone on the ground and kicks 

 the sand behind ; when one side is sufficiently deep he turns 

 around and operates in a like manner, until a round hole 

 about three feet in diameter and one foot deep is the result 

 of his exertions ; occasionally he intimates to the female that 

 help is required, and they take turns. The hen forthwith 

 begins to lay an egg every other day, until twelve or fifteen 

 are located side by side in this hole in the ground ; they 

 scatter a little sand over the eggs to protect them from the 

 fierce rays of the Californian sun ; this habit has doubtless 

 led to the supposition, printed in many ancient natural 

 histories, that the eggs of the Ostrich are hatched by the 

 sun, unaided by the birds. As soon as the full number of 

 eggs are laid the couple share the labour of hatching, the 

 male bird sitting on the eggs from 4 o'clock in the after- 

 noon until 9 o^clock the following morning; and it may 

 be understood with what skill this is performed when it is 

 remembered that 250 pounds weight of Ostrich is bearing 

 down upon fourteen eggs. At 9 o'clock the hen takes his 

 place. The male Ostrich, however, with remarkable intelli- 

 gence, relieves the female for an hour in the middle of the 



* Newton, Diet. Birds, p. 664; Evans, 'Birds,' p. 29; Royal Nat. 

 Hist. iv. p. 559; Sharpe, ' Wonders of the Bird-world,' p. 16. 



