AVES 



183 



one containing as much food as two dozen hens' eggs. The shells are 

 used as vessels by the natives. It is chiefly for the plumes, however, 

 that the ostriches have been hunted and have long been domesticated. 

 The oldest ostrich farms are probably those of South Africa, where 

 there are now about half a million tame birds; the annual output of 



FIG. 115. Plucking an ostrich. Note the pen to confine the bird, and the hood over 

 his head. (From Pickrell, Ostrich Farming in Arizona.) 



these farms is said to be about $10,000,000. The plumes from these 

 domesticated birds are superior to those of the wild ones. A pair 

 of tame birds is worth from $700 to $1000 and the net profits of the 

 business in South Africa may reach 40 per cent. 



