24 THE FIRST BOOK OF BIRDS 
ostrich mother, who makes her nest in plain sight 
on the sand, is dressed in grayish brown. When 
she sits on the eggs, she lays her long neck flat 
on the ground before her; then she looks like 
one of the ant-hills that are common on the 
plains of Africa, where she lives. 
The South American ostrich, or rhea, fluffs 
out her feathers and looks like a heap of dry 
grass. The male ostrich is dressed in showy 
black and white, and he stays away all day, but 
takes care of the nest at night, when his striking 
colors cannot be seen. 
