d2 THE OSTRICH. 



They are polygamous birds; one u?s}£ beiug generdlj 

 seen with two tr three, and etosiatiicea inth five females. 

 The female Os/>rich, in the tropical regions, after depositing 

 her eggs in the sand, trusts them to be hatched by the heat 

 of the climate, and leaves the young ones to provide for 

 themselves. 



ILLUSTRATIVE ANECDOTES. 



That Ostriches have great affection for their offspring 

 may be inferred from the assertion of Professor Thunberg 

 that he once rode past the place where a hen Ostrich was 

 sitting in her nest ; when the bird sprang up and pursued 

 him, evidently with a view to prevent his noticing her eggs 

 or young. Every time he turned his horse towards her, 

 she retreated ten or twelve paces ; but as soon as he rode 

 on again, she pursued him, till he had got to a considerable 

 distance from the place where he had started her. In the 

 tropical regions, some persons breed Ostriches in flocks ; for 

 they may be tamed with very little trouble; and in their 

 domestic state, few animals may be rendered more useful. 

 When M. Adanson was at Podar, a French factory on the 

 southern bank of the river Niger, two young but fiiU-grown 

 Ostriches, belonging to the factory, afforded him a very 

 amusing sight. 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 possible, and carried them several times round the villagre 



