LIVE STOCK AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS 343 



Ostriches live to an age of 50 to 60 years. A great amount 

 of breeding and selection work has been done with ostriches, 

 especially in Cape Colony where fine breeding birds have 

 brought as high as $4,000 a pair. An investigation of factors 

 which influence quality of plumage has been carried on for 

 many years in South Africa and a similar study is now under 

 way in Arizona. 



Alfalfa pasture or alfalfa hay has everywhere proved to be 

 the best form of roughage for ostriches. A good ostrich ra- 

 tion contains about three pounds of alfalfa hay and five pounds 

 of corn or barley per day. As is commonly known also, os- 

 triches will eat all kinds of waste material. The egg yield under 

 domestication varies from 30 to 100 eggs per year and the eggs 

 weigh from 2^2 to 4 pounds apiece. In South Africa, caponiz- 

 ing of ostriches has been practiced to some extent with the 

 idea that capons would fight less and would thus not be so 

 likely to injure their feathers. The meat of ostrich capons is 

 frequently eaten and is said to be somewhat of a delicacy. 

 Incidentally in connection with the study of domesticated 

 ostriches, some of them have been trained for riding or driv- 

 ing, hitched to a sulky. 



The South American ostrich, also called nandu or rhea, was 

 at one time killed in large numbers and its feathers sent to the 

 United States. Recently a beginning has been made in do- 

 mesticating this bird as a source of valuable feathers. Among 

 the other tropical birds which furnish articles of commerce, 

 mention should be made of the marabou stork and the aigret 

 heron, both of which may be readily domesticated but which 

 for the most part have been hunted in the wild condition. In 

 parts of western Africa, the aigret heron was hunted almost 

 to extermination, while no effort was being put forth to raise 

 them in domestication. The French are beginning to protect 

 the aigret in their African colonies with the result that the 

 numbers of these birds are rapidly increasing. 



