TAKING THE FEATHERS. 77 



was dreadfully shocked at the idea of plucking a chick 

 under a year old. Seven months afterwards I had 

 plucked the same birds again, and sold the feathers, 

 netting £7 10s. a bird. With this money I went up in 

 the Karoo country to try and purchase more birds, when 

 I came to my friend's house. We visited his young 

 birds, rather older than mine, and found, in the place of 

 a nice young crop of feathers, he had half blanks in 

 nearly every bird, and the remainder twisted and bad. 

 Of course, other causes may have had something to do 

 with this, but as the birds were in good condition I have 

 no doubt that the pulling out of the young feather which 

 was adhering to the old one was the main cause. 



It is quite possible that there is something to be 

 learnt yet about taking the feathers, and that cutting the 

 quill allows the air to penetrate down the stump and 

 causes it to shrink, and consequently that the socket is 

 not kept as wide to allow of the growth of the new 

 feather as in the ordinary course of nature, when the old 

 feather remains in perhaps for years, and is gradually 

 pushed out by the new feather. 



It is self-evident that the tame feather is not nearly 

 so heavy or long as the wild one, but then it must be 

 borne in mind that the Ostrich has no moultincr season, 

 it only sheds a feather now and again ; consequently the 

 whole growing strength is thrown into a very few 



