OSTRICHES. 9 
inhabiting Africa and Arabia. In former times their range was 
much more extensive, and fossil forms have been found in the Pliocene of 
the Siwalik Hills of India and in the Upper Miocene of Samos. The 
Common or Northern Ostrich (S. camelus) (8) is found in Northern 
and Western Africa, and ranges eastwards to Abyssinia, Arabia, and 
South Palestine; a somewhat different form, the Masai Ostrich 
(S. massaicus) (34), inhabits Hast Africa; in Somali-land and Central 
Africa S. molybdophanes occurs ; andin South Africa its place is taken 
by S. australis (2), which is exhibited in all stages of plumage, from 
the nestling to the adult, in the central Case. 
The males are larger than the. females, standing about eight feet 
high, and in all the species are black with white wings and tail. They 
may, however, be readily distinguished inter se, for S. camelus and 
S. massaicus have the skin of the head and neck of a bright flesh- 
colour, while in the other two species it is grey; S. camelus and 
S. molybdophanes have a horny shield on the crown, which is wanting 
in S. massaicus and S. australis. The plumage of the females and 
young males is brownish-grey. The general tint of the eggs laid by 
all four species is pale cream-colour, but the texture of the shell differs 
greatly. 
Ostriches inhabit the sandy wastes and deserts, as well as districts 
studded with low bushes, and are often found associating with herds of 
zebras and antelopes. ‘Though as many as fifty individuals may some- 
times be seen in company, they are more often met with in parties of 
five or six, especially during the breeding-season, when the polygamous 
male is accompanied by several hens. ‘The hens belonging to one male 
lay their eggs in the same nest, which is a shallow excavation dug in 
the sand. As many as thirty eggs are sometimes deposited in the pit, 
and many more are dropped around which are said to serve as food 
for the newly-hatched young. The contents of an egg are equal to 
about two dozen hen’s eggs. The male undertakes nearly the whole 
duty of incubation, which lasts for six or seven weeks, being occasion- 
ally relieved by the hens during the daytime. He especially looks 
after the nest at night, and broods over the eggs, though in many 
tropical countries the latter are covered over with sand and left to the 
heat of the sun during the daytime. 
The Ostrich was formerly much hunted for the sake of its curled 
plumes, but since the establishment of Ostrich-farms the chase, except 
for sport, has been almost abandoned. On the large South African 
farms, where numbers of birds are annually reared, the plumes are 
plucked every six or nine months. 
