162 OSTRICH-FARMING IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



Feed liiglily, using wheat, Kaffir corn, or barlej', in 

 preference to mealies ; or if mealies must be used, 

 crush them first. If the rains are plentiful, and the 

 veldt keeps in good order and is adapted to the birds, 

 there is no need to employ medicines, except for any birds 

 that are very bad. For these *' flowers of sulphur " 

 has been used, with every appearance of much advan- 

 tage, in doses of a table-spoonful daily for a week, and 

 then every other day for a time ; santonine in consider- 

 able doses daily is also reported to have been used to 

 advantage, as also Wells and Lennon^s Powders men- 

 tioned in a former chapter. But if the veldt is dry, 

 besides a liberal supply of grain — say, two pounds a day 

 per bird — they should have an unlimited supply of 

 lucerne or cabbage, as well as prickly pear or aloe 

 leaves cut up. We have heard on the best authority of 

 birds, that were so far gone that they would not eat, 

 having the above green foods forced down their throats 

 two or three times a day and Lennon's Powders given 

 to them, recovering and growing into fine birds. We 

 have known turpentine and male fern to be used and 

 beneficial effects to follow ; but we think it highly pro- 

 bable that this was more attributable to ridding them of 

 tape-worms than to the effect it was supposed to have 

 had on the Strongylus. We have also heard of spirits of 

 aether being given in ounce doses, on the theoiy that it 



