CHAPTER IX. 



GAME BIRDS. 



PERHAPS one of the greatest charms of African shoot- 

 ing is the immense variety it offers, and though in the 

 large-game districts bird-shooting is not of much conse- 

 quence, yet, as it is one of the chief resources while the 

 long journey to and from them is being made, it well 

 deserves some notice. 



The ostrich among birds holds the same position that 

 the elephant does among quadrupeds, and like it, is being 

 rapidly exterminated. This, however, is not of so much 

 consequence in its case ; for, besides only being valuable 

 for its feathers, it has already been domesticated, and 

 ostrich-farming has become a recognised industry in the 



