OSTRICH 



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in other birds are so largely attached ; in the ostrich 

 these pectoral muscles are but slightly developed, 

 which fact is of course in relation to its small wing. 

 The al>sence of the sternal keel was the chief reason 

 which led to the association of all the struthious 

 bird-, into one order, and the name of this order 

 Ratit:e emphasised the character, signifying raft- 

 like, as opposed to Carinatae or keeled. The ostrich 

 is now contined to Africa, Arabia, and Syria, but 

 the discovery of its fossil remains in India indicate 

 that it formerly had a much wider range. 



The ostrich shuns the presence of man, but is 

 often to lie seen in near proximity to herds of zebras, 

 quai.';ras, giraffes, antelopes, and other quadrupeds. 

 It is 4,'regarious, although the Hocks of ostriches are 

 not generally very large. It is polygamous, one 



Ostrich (Strutliio camclut). 



male usually appropriating to himself, when he can, 

 from two to seven females, which seem to make 

 their nest in common, scooping a mere hole in the 

 sand for this purpose. Each female is supposed to 

 lay about ten eggs. The eggs are all placed on end 

 in the nest, which often contains a large number, 

 whilst around it eggs are generally to be found 

 scattered on the sand. Concerning these, it has 

 been supposed that they are intended for the food 

 of the young birds before they are able to go in 

 qnest of other food ; an improbable notion, not 

 supported by evidence. It seems at least as likely 

 that these scattered eggs are laid by females wait- 

 ing whilst the nost is occupied by another, and that 

 they are lost to the ostriches, and no more regarded. 

 Contrary to a very generally received opinion, the 

 ostrich does not leave her eggs to be hatched 

 entirely by the heat of the sun ; nor is it the case, 

 as has been alleged, that the male only incubate*. 

 Both parents give their assistance in the task of 

 watching the eggs. The male and female sit alter- 

 nately on the eggs for six weeks ; the cock sitting all 

 th" night, but the female helping in the daytime. 



The ostrich feeds exclusively on vegetable sub- 

 stances, its food consisting in great part of grasses 

 and their seeds ; so that its visits are much dreaded 

 by the cultivators of the soil in the vicinity of its 

 haunts, a flock of ostriches soon playing terrible 

 havoc with a field of corn. The ostrich swallows 

 large stones, as small birds swallow grains of sand, 

 to aid the gizzard in the trituration of the food ; 

 and in continernent it has often been known to 

 wallow verv indiscriminately whatever came in 

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the way pieces of iron, bricks, glass, old shoes, 

 copper coins, &c. Its instincts do not suffice to 

 prevent it from swallowing very unsuitable things ; 

 copper coins were fatal in one instance, and a 

 piece of a parasol in another. 



The speed of the ostrich, when it first sets out, is 

 supposed to be not less than sixty miles an hour ; 

 but it does not seem to be capable of keeping up 

 this sj>eed for a long time. It is successfully hunted 

 by men on horseback, who take advantage of its 

 habit of running in a curve, instead of a straight 

 line, so that the hunter knows how to proceed in 

 order to meet it and get within shot. It is often 

 killed in South Africa by men who envelop them- 

 selves in ostrich-skins, and, cleverly imitating the 

 manners of the ostrich, approach it near enough 

 for their purpose, without exciting its alarm, and 

 sometimes kill one after another with their poisoned 

 arrows. The strength of the ostrich is such that it 

 can easily carry two men on its back. Its voice 

 is deep and hollow, not easily distinguished, ex- 

 cept by a practised ear, from the roar of the lion ; 

 but it more frequently makes a kind of cackling, 

 and, when enraged and striking violently at an 

 adversary, hisses very loudly. The flesh of the 

 ostrich is not unpalatable when it is young, but 

 rank and tough when old. It is generally believed 

 to have been prohibited as unclean to the Jews 

 (Lev. xi. 16), although the name is translated owl 

 in the English Bible. There are frequent references 

 to it in the Old Testament. 



The eggs of the ostrich, which are white or 

 yellowish white in colour, are much esteemed as an 

 article of fo<xl by the rude natives of Africa, and 

 are acceptable even to European travellers and 

 colonists. Each egg weighs al>out three pounds, 

 and is thus equal to about two dozen ordinary hen's 

 eggs. The egg is usually dressed by being set up- 

 right on a fire, and stirred about with a forked 

 stick, inserted through a hole in the upper end. 

 The thick and strong shell is applied to many uses, 

 but particularly is much employed by the South 

 African tribes for water-vessels. The reader will 

 probably recollect the interesting plate in Living- 

 stone's Travels of women filling ostrich-shells with 

 water. In taking ostrich-eggs from the nest the 

 South African is careful not to touch any with the 

 hand, but uses a long stick to draw them out, that 

 the birds may not detect the smell of the intruder, 

 in which case they would forsake the nest ; whilst 

 otherwise they will return, and lay more eggs. 

 The long plumes of the ostrich have been highly 

 valued for ornamental purposes from very early 

 times, and continue to be a considerable article 

 of commerce (see below; also FEATHERS). The 

 ostrich is often to be seen in Britain in con- 

 finement, and readily liecomes quite tame and 

 familiar, although still apt to be violent towards 

 strangers. Great numbers were exhibited in the 

 public spectacles by some of the Roman emperors ; 

 and the brains of many ostriches were sometimes 

 presented in a single dish, as at the table of Helio- 

 gabalus. See the articles CASSOWARY, EMU, 

 KHEA ; also J&PYORNIS, DINORNIS. 



OSTRICH-FARMING. Although there were iso- 

 lated attempts in 1864, the domestication of the 

 ostrich in South Africa, for the sake of its plumage, 

 dates from alxrat 1867, and so rapidly had the 

 industry grown that in 1880 about 8,000,000 of 

 capital was employed, and the value of feathers 

 exported was over 800,000. The French have 

 also made attempts in the same direction in 

 Algeria ; feathers are exported from Tripoli ; there 

 are tame binls kept in Egypt ; while birds have 

 l>een imported into Australia by the Melbourne 

 Acclimatisation Society, and a shipment was made 

 from Capetown to Buenos Ay res in 1882. Suc- 

 cessful experiments in ostrich-farming have also 



