THE OSTRICH. 



445 



with blackish-brown. The length of the male bird is about eighteen 

 inches. The female is smaller, and is known by the brown color of 

 the neck-tufts and the bar on the tail. 



The best time for shooting the Ruffed Grouse is September and 

 October, when it is very fat, having fed on whortleberries and other 

 fruits, which give its flesh a delicate and somewhat aromatic flavor. 

 In winter these birds feed much on the buds of alder and laurel, and 

 are then thought to be poisonous. 



CURSORES. 



With the Ostrich commences a most important group of birds, con- 

 taining the largest and most powerful members of the feathered tribe, 

 and termed Cursores, or " running birds," on account of their great 

 speed of foot and total impotence of wing. All the birds belonging 

 to this order have their legs de- 

 veloped to an extraordinary de- 

 gree, the bones being long, stout, 

 and nearly as solid as those of a 

 horse, and almost devoid of the 

 air-cells which give such lightness 

 to the bones of most birds. The 

 wings are almost wanting exter- 

 nally, their bones, although re- 

 taining the same number and 

 form as in ordinary birds, being 

 very small, as if suddenly checked 

 in their growth. 



This magnificent creature, the 

 largest of all existing birds, in- 

 habits the hot sandy deserts of Af- 

 rica, for which mode of life it is 

 wonderfully fitted. In height it 

 measures from six to eight feet, 

 the males being larger than their 

 mates, and of a blacker tint. The 

 food of the Ostrich consists mostly 

 of wild melons, which are so benef- 

 icently scattered over the sandy 

 wastes. 



The Ostrich is a gregarious bird, associating in flocks, and being fre- 

 quently found mixed up with the vast herds of quaggas, zebras, giraffes, 

 and antelopes which inhabit the same desert-plains. It is also polyg- 

 amous, each male bird having from two to seven wives. The nest of 



38 



The Ostrich {Struthio Camelm). 



