SI'KKH "/' /'/// USTKH'H. 503 



which they bury in spots known l< them--. -\\, , :il..n.-. Tin- liny Inil resolute little warriors 

 Mart o!T on their ex|ieditioii. p-l annni^ tin- dwelling of their foes, carry off a- m.m\ .-aide a- 

 they ran manage, S!IK.I the r--si with poisoned arrows, ami then retiring over lli- burning 



.l.-.-lt ..: i - -T -,-' II I Hill iheil ..in -al- -d u.il.i -I,, I'-. \\ lill-- ill- II i-li-'liii- ai<- I-italU 

 unable to follow tin-in. 



After ivmo\ ini: the egir-t from tin- nest, the appro\ed m<-ilid of -auxin:: them is to tak 

 off t li- "crackers" or leather II.MI-I>. ti.- up the ankles (irmly, lill the garment \\ith >-UK*. 

 an. I - r il astride tin shoulders if I In- captoi ! .1 |.. \---n i.in i m lic.nl .1 ' li.- -add ! In HI Id 



he be on horw>lNu-k. Thu .sln-IN an- so strong that they are u)>l<- to u-ar tliis mthi-r cnrioiw 

 iii.-l.- of ronv. \ano- without ihunage, provided that no extreim- jolting tak*- pliuv. A frisky 

 IIOI-N.- will, houi-vi-r, soiiiftiiiii-^ Miiasli tli- \\lioU- ciiiyo, with ilixolron- ron^.-i|iifn'..-- t.. him 

 wlf an.l th veaaelin \\hi.-h they were carried. 



\iii-! i- ill-' l-'-llaiali>, :in Ostrich ugg "ii id.- i..|. of a | ...!. li \---\ \<> ili- f of il,.- l,m i> 



th<- fiiil)lfiii of ro\alt \ . The Copte t^all it ih- i-inlili-in of \\atclifnlnww, and carry out th idea 

 by making the empty Hhi-1 1 ili-ffinl tln-ir chim-li bim^s fnun th.- mt-. which crawl down the 

 conh l.y which tin- lamp* an- -u>|*iidd, and drink the oil. Their plan is to run the cord 

 through un Ostrich shell, which is plac.-l ;ii soiiu* littl*- distanc** alnivc th<* lain]), and, by its 

 smooth polished surface, form* an impa^al'l-- Iwrrier even to nit>. 



The feathers are too well known t.. n.-.-d i|i-.cripti<ni. On an avenip-. each featluT in 

 w.irth al"nii a shilling. The U-st time for obtaining them is in the months of March and 

 April. The greater nuinU'r are furnished by m.-an^ of the jioisoiied arrow, the native hunter 

 scraping a hole in the. sand near the neM, and lying concealed then- until the bin Is come to 

 their eggs, when a few rapid discharges will kill a.s many birds. Sometimes the hunter 

 envelops him.self in the skin of an Ostrich, his natural legs doing duty for those of the bird, 

 and his arm mana^im: the head and neck in such a way as to simulate the movements of 

 the bird when feeding -an imitation so admirably managed that at a short distance it is 

 imjMissible to distinguish the sham bird from the true. The eiiterprisiiu; little hunter is 

 thus enabled to get among a Hock of Ostriches, and to shoot one after the other with great 

 MBe, the birds ii"i l-iiu able to iin.l--iMaiid i h- r.-a-,,n u h \ their comnides should .suddenlj 

 run away and then lie down, and jieniiiMiiu; their enemy to follow them up until they share 

 the same fate. 



In some triU-s each Ostrich feather worn on the head is an emblem of an ejiemy slain 

 in battle. 



The flesh of the Ostrich is tolerably good, and is said to resemble that of the zebra. It 

 is, however, only the young OMrich that furnishes a good entertainment, for the flesh of the 

 old bird is rank and tough. The fat is highly valued, and when melted is of a bright orange 

 color. It is mostly eaten with millet flour, and is also stirred into the eggs while roasting, so 

 as to make a rude but well-flavored omelet. 



Those who are fond of hunting, employ a morn sportsman-like though less profitable mode 

 of procuring this bird. Mount.nl on swifi horses, they give fair chase to the nimble-footed 

 bird, and generally manage to secure it by sending one of their number to head it on its 

 course, and shooting it as it da>hes by. The s|>eed of the Ostrich is very great, though hardly 

 BO considerable a.s has UN-H supjMwed. Some writers set it down as running sixty mil-- |- i 

 hour, while others only give it half that rate. Wh-u going at full speed, its legs move so 

 rapidly that they hardly s.-.-m to touch the ground; and as the pace of a running adult 

 Ostrich is from ten to fourteen f.-et in length, its .-vc^-dini: swiftness may be imagined. 



For a short distance, the sin^-d of the Ostrich is jH-rhaps quite as great as the higher of 

 the above statements; but it seldom k.-eps up that astonishing rate of going for more than 

 half a mile, and then settles down into a more steady rate of progress. Being a long- 

 winded bird, it would tire out most horses, did not it always run in curves, so that the 

 horseman by taking a direct course saves much ground, and is able to get a shot as the huge 

 bird comes dashing by him. The reader "ill !* better enabled to understand tl 

 powers of the bird and the curious modifications of its structure better by referring to a 

 skeleton of the bird, than by many pages of deacription. The long and powerful legs, with 



