THE WORLD'S BIRDS. 85 



also form eyelashes. Male black and white, female 

 drab. Young mottled with buff. 



Young. — Active and feeding themselves. The head 

 and neck clothed with grey down marked with 

 black, the body with bristly- or spiny-looking 

 down. 



Nest. — A hollow scratched out in the sand by the 

 male. 



Eggs. — Numerous, creamy-white, rounded ovals, highly 

 polished. 



Incubation. — Lasting about six weeks, the male 

 sitting by night, the female by day. 



Courtship. — The male, when courting, bellows, in- 

 flating his neck, and raising his wings above his 

 back to a perpendicular position. He also rolls his 

 head and wings from side to side. 



Food. — Chiefly grass and other herbage, with various 

 small animals. Any sort of hard substance is 

 taken to assist digestion. 



Gait. — A fast springy walk or run, the latter being the 

 swiftest gait among land animals. Ostriches can 

 also swim well if pressed. The wings are, of 

 course, quite useless for flight, and do not even aid 

 in running. 



Note. — Usually a hiss, but the male bellows, or 

 " broms," in the breeding season. 



Disposition, Habits, etc. — Ostriches are stupid and 

 nervous, though tameable ; they are very fond of 

 " waltzing," especially when young. The male is 

 very dangerous in the breeding season, when he 

 fights his own sex and other animals, including 

 man, striking forward and downward with one 

 foot. 



Economic Qualities. — The soft filmy wing- and tail- 

 quills of ostriches, especially the males, have 

 always been favourite objects for decoration. 



Captivity. — The ostrich has been completely domes- 



