212 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOGIELY:. 
who used its feathers for ornament, and so struck were they 
with the evenness of the vane of the feathers that with it they 
crowned Thmei, the goddess of truth, making it the symbol of 
even-handed justice. 
About this gigantic bird there has arisen, as a matter of course, 
many myths and fables in the folk-lore of various nations. Sev- 
eral of these are worth considering. The proverbial silliness of 
these birds has a foundation in the fact of their easily becoming 
confused when approached by several horsemen from different 
directions. The world-wide idea of their fondness for a diet of 
hardware, and their ability to digest metal, originated, doubtless, 
from their custom of swallowing large quantities of stones and 
other substances, to aid the gizzard in triturating their food—a 
habit shared on a smaller scale by our domestic fowls. Lastly, 
the fable of hiding their heads in the sand to avoid detection has 
some foundation in their habit of crouching as closely as possible 
to the ground, when they think they are observed; a great eight- 
foot creature thus transforming itself into an inconspicuous ant- 
hill, or mound of earth, as is shown in the photograph. Job has 
given us a number of facts concerning the life history of the 
Ostrich, but he fell into one or two errors. 
The eggs of the Ostrich are round and white and about twenty 
times the size of a hen’s egg. The white colour of the shells is 
a great protection in simulating the light sand in which they are 
laid. 
During the breeding season the large flocks separate, several 
females being taken under the protection of one male bird. In 
some isolated part of the desert, a shallow basin is scraped in the 
sand, and all the hens lay their eggs in this simple nest. When 
about a dozen are deposited, the male begins to brood, sitting 
closely all night, surrounded by his females. During the day, the 
birds relieve one another, more to guard their treasure from 
jackals than to forward the process of hatching, for that is often 
left to the heat of the sun. The grey colour of the females is 
thus a protection to them when near the nest in the day, while 
the male, approaching only at night, needs no such protection, 
and has body feathers of jet black. 
Ostriches show the greatest solicitude for their young. The 
male will sham a broken leg, or fiercely attack anything which 
threatens the safety of his family. The Ostrich is a bird of great 
strength, and very dangerous when angry, kicking out violently 
in all directions. Notwithstanding the great weight of a full- 
grown bird, already stated, the immense strength of its legs gives 
