472 



Creatfurr? tif Natural f^ 



gravel : for they are probably of use ir 

 sisting the action of the gizzard in 



possible, when the chase is taken up by 

 another on a fresh horse, till the bird is 

 worn down ; which is the more readily done, 

 as the Ostrich, instead of pursuing a straight 

 course, runs in a circuitous direction. The 

 European sportsman, we are told, after riding 

 so that the bird shall pass within shot, dis- 

 mounts and brings it down with the rifle. 

 In Sir James Alexander's Travels we read 

 that the Kaffirs nimbly pursue the fleet and 

 powerful Ostrich, and enclose him ; when he 

 makes a rush at a part of the circle, kicking 

 out furiously, and clearing all before him, if 

 not mortally and speedily assegaied. 



The Ostrich has a capacious crop, strong 

 gizzard, and voluminous intestines j feeds 

 voraciously on grain, grass, &c., and so ob- 

 tuse is its taste that it will swallow pieces of 

 leather, metal, wood, or any hard substances. 

 In this it is probably guided by the same 

 instinct that leads the fowl to swallow 

 n as- 

 n the 



reduction of the food. Dr. Shaw asserts that 

 he saw one at Oran that swallowed, without 

 any seeming inconvenience, several leaden 

 bullets, as they were thrown upon the floor, 

 scorching hot from the mould. The female 

 lays from ten to twelve eggs in a hole in 

 the sand ; and, although she does not incu- 

 bate them continually, no bird has a stronger 

 affection for its offspring, or watches its nest 

 with more assiduity. Contrary to the ge- 

 neral opinion, she always broods over her 

 eggs at night, only leaving them during the 

 hottest part of the day. In procuring the 

 eggs from the nest, the natives are very 

 careful not to touch any with their hands, 

 as the parent birds are sure to discover it on 

 their return, and not only desist from lay- 

 ing any more in the same place, but trample 

 to pieces all those that have been left; 

 therefore a long stick is always used to push 

 them out of the nest. The eggs, which 

 weigh about three pounds each, are said to 

 be a great delicacy, and are prepared for the 

 table in various ways. Ostriches are poly- 

 gamous birds ; one male being generally 

 seen with two or three females, and some- 

 times with more. In a tame state they are 

 tractable and familiar towards persons whom 

 they know, but are often fierce towards 

 strangers, whom they will attempt to push 

 down by running furiously upon them ; and 

 on succeeding in this effort, they not only 

 peck at their fallen foe with their beak, but 

 strike at him with their feet with the utmost 

 violence. When thus engaged, they make a 

 fierce hissing noise, and have their throats 

 inflated and mouths open,but at other times 

 they have a kind of cackling voice. 



The species Rhea Americana, which by 

 some is called the American Ostrich, in- 

 habits various parts of South America to the 

 southward of the equator, but is principally 

 found on the great plains in Buenos Ayres 

 and the adjoining states. It differs essen- 

 tially, however ,'from the true Ostrich, having I 

 three toes instead of two ; is much smaller ; 

 and is of a uniform gray colour, except on 

 the back, which has a brown tint. The back 

 and rump are furnished with long feathers, 

 but not of the same rich and costly kind as 



those of the former species. It is capable of 

 great speed, and its running is accompanied 

 with a singular motion of its wings ; each 

 being alternately raised and outstretched, 

 and then -depressed. It is taken by being 

 chased on horseback, and catching it with 

 the lasso, or by means of balls connected by 

 a strip of hide, and thrown in such a way as 

 to entangle its legs. 



In describing the habits of this bird Mr. 

 Darwin tells us that " When several horse- 

 men appear in a semicircle, it becomes con- 

 founded, and does not know which way to 

 escape. They generally prefer running 

 against the wind ; yet at the first start they 

 expand their wings, and, like a vessel, make 

 all sail. On one fine hot day I saw several 

 Ostriches enter a bed of tall rushes, where 

 they squatted concealed, till quite closely 

 approached. It is not generally known that 

 Ostriches readily take to the water. Mr. 

 King informs me that at the bay of San 

 Bias, and at Port Valdes in Patagonia, he 

 saw these birds swimming several times from 

 island to island. They ran into the water 

 both when driven down to a point, and like- 

 wise of their own accord when not fright- 

 ened : the distance crossed was about 200 

 yards. When swimming, very little of their 

 bodies appear above water, and-their necks 

 are extended a little forward : their progress 

 is slow. On two occasions, I saw some 

 Ostriches swimming across the Cruz river, 

 where its course was about 400 yards wide, 

 and the stream rapid. 



" The inhabitants who live in the country 

 readily distinguish, even at a distance, the 

 cock bird from the hen. The former is 

 larger and darker-coloured, and lias a bigger 

 head. The Ostrich, I believe the cock, emits 

 a singular deep-toned hissing note. When 

 first I heard it, standing in the midst of 

 some sand-hillocks, I thought it was made 

 by some wild beast, for it is a sound that one 

 cannot tell whence it comes, or from how far 

 distant. When we were at Bahia Blanca in 

 the months of September and October, the 

 eggs, in extraordinary numbers, were found 

 all over the country. They either lie scat- 

 tered single, in which case they are never 

 hatched, and are called by the Spaniards 

 huachos; or they are collected together into 

 a shallow excavation, which forms the nest. 

 Out of the four nests which I saw, three 

 contained twenty-two eggs each, and the 

 fourth twenty-seven. In one day's hunting 

 on horseback sixty-four eggs were found ; 

 forty-four of these were in two nests, and 

 the remaining twenty scattered huachos. 

 The Gauchos unanimously affirm, and there 

 is no reason to doubt their statement, that 

 the male bird alone hatches the eggs, and 

 for some time afterwards accompanies the 

 young. The cock when on the nest lies 

 very close ; I have myself almost ridden 

 over one. It is asserted that at such times 

 they are occasionally fierce, and even dan- 

 gerous, and that they have been known to 

 attack a man on horseback, trying to kick 

 and leap on him. The Gauchos unani- 

 mously affirm that several families lay in 

 one nest. I have been positively told, that 

 four or five hen birds have been seen to go, 



