OSTROO 



to these birds. The head U rela- 

 tivdv snmll, and u broad and 

 flattened. The beak is short and 

 broad, and the gape very wi<l<- 



u-hes are found in open 

 country, s|nvi:illy desert, and never 

 in wooded regions. Their speed 

 when running with outspread \v mu 1 - 

 exceeds that of any mammal ; but 

 tin-it- habit of running in great 

 circles enables a well-mounted 

 hunter to get within shot by cut- 

 ting them off. They feed mainly 

 on grass and leaves, but are prac- 

 tiially omnivorous, and will swal- 

 low -ni.-ill mammals, birds,, or rep- 

 tiles. The cock bird, in the breed- 

 ing season, runs with three or four 

 licn>. which lay in a common neat 

 consisting of a shallow hole in the 

 sand scraped by the cock. There 

 are usually about 20 eggs in a nest, 

 but the birds often lay a few eggs 

 round it which fail to be hatched. 



During the day the eggs are usu- 

 ally left to the heat of the sun, but 

 the cock incubates them at night. 

 In cooler weather he sometimes sits 

 during the day as well, and is then 

 relieved by the hens while he goes 

 in search of food. The birds are 

 extremely wary, and make off at 

 the least alarm ; but a male bird, 

 if cornered, is a dangerous foe, as 

 he can strike terrible blows with 

 his powerful legs. The flesh of the 

 ostrich, except when young, is unfit 

 for food, but the eggs are highly 

 prized by the natives. 



Owing to the value of its plumes 

 the ostrich was formerly hunted 

 to extermination in many districts, 

 but the same cause has now saved 

 it from extinction. The establish- 

 ment of ostrich farms dates from 

 about 1867, and has now developed 

 into an important industry in S. 

 Africa, Australia, the U.S.A., Al- 

 geria, and Argentina ; but attempts 

 to introduce it to Europe have not 

 proved very profitable. The in- 

 troduction of artificial incubation 

 has added considerably to the profit. 



The birds are given a free run 

 over a large extent of open ground, 

 and pick up most of their food. 

 The plumes are taken usually 

 three times in two years, the birds 

 being driven into small enclosures 

 and hooded to keep them quiet. 

 The feathers are then cut 2 ins. from 

 the sockets, and as these are not 

 provided with nerves the birds feel 

 nothing. See Australia ; Cassowary. 



Ostrog. Town of S.W. Russia. 

 It is in the govt. of Volhynia, on 

 the river Goryn, 100 m. W. of Jito- 

 in ir. There is trade in corn, wool, 

 leather, timber, and sugar. It was 

 formerly the capital of an inde- 

 pendent Polish principality. Here 

 the first complete old Slavonic 

 ti.m-l.-ition of the Bible was issued 

 in 1581. Pop. 20,000. 



3893 



OSTWALD 





Ostrich. 



Male specimen ol the A! 



Oanbier Ballon. r.Z.S. 



Ostrogojsk. Town of Central 

 Russia. It is in the govt., and 

 56 m. S.W., of Voronezh, on the 

 river Tikhaya Sosna and the Khar- 

 kov-Balashev rly. The chief in- 

 dustries are the manufacture of 

 soap, candles, oil, bricks, tobacco, 

 and a considerable trade is carried 

 on in grain, cattle, honey, and 

 leather. Pop. 22,000. 



Ostrogoths. Eastern branch of 

 the Gothic people. It was formed 

 of those Goths who remained in 

 their seats on the Dnieper when the 

 others, who were called Visigoths, 

 moved W. in the 3rd century. The 

 Ostrogoths, under Hermanaric, 

 ruled eastward to the Don, and 

 their supremacy was recognized 

 far to the N. ; but they were over- 

 thrown by the Huns, after whose 

 fall they began a new era of con- 

 quest. Their power was at its 

 highest under Theodoric. See 

 Belisarius ; Goths ; Hermunaric ; 

 Rome : History ; Theodoric ; Totila; 

 Visigoths. 



Ostrolenka. Town of Poland. 

 It stands on the Nareff and the 

 Nareff rly., 20 m. S.W. of Lpmza. 

 Agriculture, hunting, and fishing 

 are the chief occupations of the 

 (list., where much amber is found. 

 Here the Russians wore defeated 



by the French in 1807, and the 

 Poles by the Russians in 1831. It 

 was captured by the Germans in 

 their offensive against Warsaw, 

 Aug., 1915. Pop. 16,000. 



Ostrovski, ALEXANDER NICHO- 

 I.AIEVITCH (1823-86). Russian 

 dramatist. He was born April 12, 

 1823, the son of a general business 

 agent, and found his inspiration 

 for his earliest plays in the lives of 

 the small traders of Moscow among 

 whom he was brought up. His first 

 notable comedy, The Bankrupt, or 

 Between Ourselves We Shall Settle 

 It, 1850, is the story of a commercial 

 swindle. In 1853, with Everyone 

 in His Own Place, the dramatist 

 scored his second great success, 

 and in 1860 he wrote his best play, 

 The Storm, Eng. trans. C. Garnett, 

 1899. In 1884 he became director 

 of the Moscow Theatre, and he 

 died June 24, 1886. 



Ostuni. City of Italy, in Apulia. 

 It is 22 m. by rly. N.W. of 

 Brindisi. The cathedral has a 

 Gothic facade ; the town library 

 contains a collection of antiquities. 

 Pop. 5,000. 



Ostwald, WILHELM (b. 1853). 

 German scientist. Born at Riga, 

 Feb. 2, 1853, he was educated at 

 the university of Dorpat .Special- 



