232 OUR DOMESTIC BIRDS 



with feathers, but not as densely as in most birds. There are 

 just enough feathers on the body of an ostrich to protect the 

 skin from exposure when they lie flat. The areas on the skin 

 where there are no feathers are much larger than on other birds. 

 The thighs of the ostrich are bare. The skin is in some varie- 

 ties of a bluish-gray ; in other varieties the bare parts are red 

 and the skin of the body is yellow. 



The crop and the gizzard of the ostrich are not separated as 

 in other birds, but are joined ; the upper part of the stomach 

 performs the functions of a crop and the lower part those of 

 a gizzard. 



The male ostrich is usually larger than the female. The adult 

 males and females are plainly distinguished by the color of their 

 plumage, the body feathers of the male being black, while those 

 of the female are gray. The plumes of both sexes are white or 

 white mixed with black. The black on an ostrich is often of a 

 brownish shade, and this is most conspicuous when it appears 

 on the plumes. 



The bill of the male and the scales on the fronts of his shanks 

 become a bright rose color in the breeding season. The male 

 ostrich utters a guttural sound, called booming, which is said 

 to resemble the roar of a lion as heard at a distance. The voice 

 of the female is like that of the male, but very faint. 



The difference in the plumage of the sexes, although it is not 

 complete until after the second adult molt, is noticeable much 

 earlier. The females do not begin to lay until three or four 

 years old. The males are not fully matured until four or five 

 years of age. Ostriches are very long-lived. Birds whose age 

 could be verified have lived as long as forty-five years in cap- 

 tivity, and at that age were profitable as breeders and also as 

 feather producers. It is believed by some of those most com- 

 petent to judge such matters that under favorable circumstan- 

 ces an ostrich might live a hundred years or more. Very few 

 of the birds kept in domestication die of old age. They are 



