tisTKH II 



OSYMANDYAS 



lieen made in several place* in California. Mr Kin- 

 near nf Ileaufort West, and Mr Artlmr Iioiiglas <>! 

 Heathcrlon Towels, near (inihamtown. were two 

 pioneers in ostrich farming. Ijirgc furliinr.- were 

 made in tin- caily da\ <>f tin' indiisti v, when 

 feathers were worth 100 |ior II)., tin- plumes of 

 nii<> bird sometimes fetching i''2.~i. As inncli ax 

 i'4iHi or even I'.VK) have IM-CII paid fora good )vir 

 tit bleeding birds, and chicks newly out of the e^ 



have fetched fill each. As the supply l>ecanie 



greater than the ilt'iimml a pair of ostriches might 

 iii>t bring more than 12, ami the plumes of an 

 ostrich about 30s. for one plucking. The licaiitiful 

 white plumes so highly priced hy ladies all over 

 the world j;row in ilie ends uf the wings of tlie 

 male birds. A good bird in his prime will yield from 

 t went \ to forty of t husc, liesides a few Mack feathers 

 also friini the wings. The tail -feat hers are not 

 nearly so valuable nor so lieunt iful. The plumes of 

 the hen from her wing-tips are generally spotted 

 and llecked with gia\. and are called feminities. 

 From 120 to 130 good feathers go to a pound : they 

 are always thus wild by weight. Ostrich -farmers 

 either may buy the young birds from tho breeders 

 when from four to twelve months old, keep them 

 for the sake of their feathers, and sell them as 

 breeding birds when they are four years of age ; or 

 they may give their attention to breeding birds 

 only, selling the young as they are hatched or when 

 they are a few months old ; or they may breed and 

 farm for themselves. Where artificial incubators 

 are in use the eggs arc removed from the nest as 

 soon as laid, 'fill a year old birds are usually 

 treated as chicks, and fed with 1 Hi. ench of 

 wheat, barley, or Katlir corn ; when the weather 

 is wet they must be put under cover. After 

 tlii* age they may I* put in a fenced camp, 

 with ten acres to each bird, and left to shift for 

 themselves. Still, they need to lie watched for two 

 veal's, as they sutler much from parasites. There 

 may boa fortnightly muster, and a stock-book kept, 

 in which the days for cult in;,' and pulling feathers 

 arc noted. A live-wire fence is recommended by 

 come breeders, never less than 4 feet 9 inches 

 in height. The. plucking-box ' is a solid wooden 

 box, in whieh tin- ostrich hits only room to stand. 

 The feathers are cut before the quills are quite 

 ripe; the stumps remain for a month or two, and 

 are then easily pulled out. Formerly the feathers 

 n-ed to lie pulled out by the roots. The first crop 

 of good feathers is elipped at seven or eight months ; 

 this in icpeated every ei"ht months with like result, 

 till the birds take to breeding, after which it in not 

 desirable to deprive them of their feathers, as they 

 require them to cover the eggs on the nest. The 

 hiid's plumage has reached perfection when three 

 years old, and at four years the birds have reached 

 niiitmity. The Uiny Ixidy of the ostrich yields 

 little or no flesh, but the thigh makes delicious 

 -onp. The legs are brittle anil easily broken, in 

 which cane the bird has to 1m killed. Ostriches 

 may lie kept in every part of Cape Colony 

 except in the cold miiiinlaiiKiiis tablelands, but 

 they thrive Ix-st in the extensive Karroo plains, 

 which are their natural habitat, though strong 

 adult birds may thrive in a good grass country. 

 They prefer a dry, warm, well-drained Karroo 

 country, and the wider the range the birds can lie 

 allowed the better they thrive. Their lies! jjra/ing 

 grounds are where the soil is rich in alkalies. In 

 l>v~> the ex|irt of feathers from the Cape of Oood 

 Hope amounted to 232.119 lb., of a value of 

 1X1(1,165; in 1889 to 147,486 lb., of a value of 

 4iii,(iii[ ; in IH'.II. to a value of 477,414. 



See Monentlml rnl Martin;;'* (Mrichrt and OitrieH- 

 farinii'i i]>?';.; I iniiglax*, Ottrich-farminfl in f-'onlli 

 '^Ifrifa(lSSl); Martin'* Home Life on an Oitriclt-farm 



,->.. 



Oslrojf,, a town of Kn^sia, in Volbynia, 176 

 miles W. of KictV. 1'op. Hi,.vJ2, mostly .leus. 

 Ostrogoths. See GOTHS. 



Ostlllli. a city of South Italy, 22 miles N\V. of 

 Itrindisi by rail. " Pop. 15,199. 



OMIIIH. a town of Spain, (ill miles by rail ESE. 

 of Seville, stands in a fertile plain on a triangular 

 hill crowned by the castle of theCirons, dukes of 

 Ostina. and bv a collegiate church (1534), which 

 was pillaged liy Soult of 5 cwt. of ancient church 

 plate. Pop. 17',211. 



Oswald. ST. kingof Northnmbria, was the son of 

 the conquering Kthelfritb of iternicia and of Acha, 

 si-ter of the brave Edwin of Deira. He fought his 

 way to the throne by the defeat, at Heavcnlield 

 near Hexham (635), of Ca'dwalla the Welsh kin;; 

 who had aided I'enda to cmsh Edwin at Hatlield 

 two years liefore. I'nder the reign of Edwin he 

 had found shelter in Scotland, and l>een converted 

 to Christianity at Hii or lona ; and now, when he 

 was hailed king by the whole of Northumlierland, 

 he established Christianity with the help of St 

 Aidan, who settled on Holy Island. Oswald was 

 acknowledged as over-lord by all the kingdoms 

 save those subject to Penda. He fell lighting 

 against his enemy at Maserfield ( Oswestry ) in 642. 



Osweeo, a port of entry and capital of Oswego 

 county, New York, is situated at the mouth of 

 Oswego Kiver ( here crossed bv three bridges ), on 

 Lake Ontario, at the extremity of the ( iswego 

 Canal (to Syracuse, 35 miles by rail), mid :t'Jii 

 miles by rail NW. of New York City. It is a 

 handsome city, with wide streets, and a United 

 States government building, court-house, city hall, 

 state armoury, &c. It is the principal port on 

 the lake, with a breakwater, a dozen large eleva- 

 tors, and 4 miles of wharves, and carries on a brisk 

 trade. The river falls here 34 feet, and the 

 abundant water-power is utilised in flour-mills, 

 knitting-milk, \c. Oswego starch and corn Hour 

 are as well known in Europe as in America. Pop. 

 (1880) 21,116; ( 1900) 2-2,199. 



Oswego Tea, a name given to several spocies 

 of Moniirda, particularly M. punnirea, JII. i/ii/i/nm, 

 and .!/. kahntana, natives of Nortn America, because 

 of the occasional use of an in fusion of the dried leaves 

 as a beverage. They belong to the natural order 

 Labiata-, somewhat resemble mints in appearance, 

 and have an agreeable odour. The infusion is said 

 to be useful in intermittents and as a stomachic. 

 Some other species of Monardanre used in the same 

 way, and the three species named are not uncom- 

 monly cultivated in gardens for ornament. 



Oswestry. a thriving market-town ami muni- 

 cipal borougli (1397) of Shropshire, 18 miles N\V. 

 of Shrewsbury. Ithasanold parish church, restored 

 in 1872 atacost of 10,(HK) ; a fragment of the Nor- 

 man castle of Walter Kii/nlan. progenitor of the 

 nival Stewarts; and a I. "it h century grammar -school, 

 rebuilt in 1SHI and enlarged in IXti3-78. Hailway 

 workshops were established in IstlTi. and sevici.i^e 

 and water works constructed in l.stiti. (K\\estry 

 derives its name from St Oswald (q.v.), who was 

 slain here. In 1644 it was captured by the parlia- 

 mentarians. Pop. (1851) 4817 : (ISSl) 7847 : (1891) 

 K496. See works by Price (1815) anil Cathrall (1855). 



OsyniaiKlvas. the name of a great king of 

 Kgypt. mentioned by Diodonu and Strabo, who 

 reigned, according; to these authors, as the U7th suc- 

 cessor of SeHostris. He is said to have distinguished 

 himself by his victories, to have invaded Asia with 

 an army of 400,(HM> men ami 20,000 cavalry, and 

 to have conquered the Itactrians, who had been 

 rcndcicd tributary to Kgyjit by Sesosliis. In honour 

 of thU exploit in- is said by Hecatn-ns to have 

 erected a monument which was at once a palace 



