BIRDS 161 



Patagonians) he states that the same is true of the American 

 Rhea Darwinii, the male being larger, stronger, and swifter 

 than the female, and yet taking sole charge of the eggs and 

 young. If these conclusions were correct they would not 

 afford any insuperable difficulty, for the males might be the 

 more eager and the more pugnacious, and yet alone perform 

 the function of incubation. This is the case also in the 

 sticklebacks and other fishes, of which the males both take 

 the initiative in courtship and build and guard the nest. 



But in birds the general rule is that the sex which is 

 most active in courtship and most pugnacious takes less part 

 in incubation or none at all. Moreover, it has been generally 

 stated that several hen ostriches lay in one nest. 



In the Zoologist for March 1897 there is a detailed article, 

 by Conrad Schreiner, on the habits of the ostrich of South 

 Africa as observed on large ostrich farms. He states that 

 the ostrich is monogamous, and that the cock does not alone 

 perform the task of incubation. A cock and hen pair and 

 make a nest by hollowing out the sand ; the hen lays eggs 

 and sits in the day-time, while the cock sits from evening to 

 morning. Under these circumstances most chicks are reared. 

 He goes on to say, however, that this system is comparative] y 

 seldom carried out, because the cocks from fighting become 

 reduced, and there are always unattached hens which lav in 

 the nest of a pair of mated birds. He says these hens court 

 the cocks. When unattached hens thus disturb a couple 

 they lay their eggs in the nest, often drop eggs around it, 

 and in consequence of the disturbance few or no chicks are 

 reared. 



It may be objected that observations made on ostriches in a 

 state of confinement and semi-domestication are not complete 

 evidence concerning the habits in the wild state. But the 

 conditions of ostrich-farming are not likely to modify the 

 habits of the birds much, and the above evidence indicates 



11 



