﻿86 PICTORIAL MISCELLANY. 



its hooted feet, and its wonderful power of endurance. It is found 

 in great abundance on the burning- plains of Arabia and Africa, and 

 although it shuns man as its greatest enemy, yet it is easily tamed, 

 and becomes attached to its keepers. When these birds are annoyed, 

 they are dangerous to approach, and they have been known to tear 

 the body of a man completely to pieces, by one blow of their powerful 

 legs. On one occasion, a party of hunters had driven a large ostrich 

 into a kind of pen, when the poor bird, driven almost to distraction, 

 turned upon its pursuers, and, in spite of all their exertions, two of 

 their horses were killed, and the leg of one rider broken, and the 

 ostrich escaped! 



They build no nest, but merely excavate small holes in the ground, 

 where the females deposit their eggs, sometimes as many as thirty . 

 During the day, the hens take turns in sitting upon the eggs, and at 

 night the males relieve them, and woe to any jackal or other beast, 

 which may be prowling about in search for his supper ! for when the 

 intruder comes within reach of that terrible, double-clawed foot, one 

 blow lays him dead. In the day-time, while the sun shines hot, all 

 the birds leave their eggs sometimes for several hours. What a 

 curious employment for the sun ! 



The ostrich sometimes grows to the height of seven or eight feet> 

 The natives often tame them, and use them for horses, and, mounted 

 on their shoulders, they are carried over the sandy plains with great 

 speed. 



The Pyramids of Gizeh, 



THE pyramids of Middle Egypt are divided into five groups, and 

 contain, in all, about forty pyramids. They commence at Gizeh, 

 which is situated nearly opposite the city of Cairo, upon the banks 

 of the river Nile, and extend about seventy miles to the south, being 

 placed at irregular intervals, at some considerable distance from the 

 river. The three great pyramids of Gizeh are about seven miles 

 from Cairo, and are the largest in the world, and, being very near a 

 great city, they are the most frequently visited by strangers. 



After passing the river, and crossing the cultivated portion of the 

 valley, we arrive at the edge of the desert, where our animals sink 



