212 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



who used its feathers for ornament, and so struck were they 

 with the evenness of the vane of tlie feathers tliat with it they 

 crowned Thniei, the goddess of truth, making it the symbol of 

 even-handed justice. 



About this g'igantic bird there has arisen, as a matter of course, 

 many myths and fables in the folk-k)re of various nations. Sev- 

 eral of these are worth considering". The proverbial silliness of 

 these birds has a foundation in the fad of their easily becoming 

 confused when approached by several horsemen from different 

 directions. 'Fhe world-wide idea of their fondness for a diet of 

 hardware, and their ability to digest metal, originated, doubtless, 

 from their custom of swallowing large quantities of stones and 

 other substances, to aid the gizzard in triturating their food — a 

 habit shared on a smaller scale by our domestic fowls. Lastly, 

 the fable of hiding their heads in the sand to avoid detection has 

 some foundation in their habit of crouching as closely as possible 

 to the ground, when thev think they are observed ; a great eight- 

 foot creature thus transforming itself into an inconspicuous ant- 

 hill, or mound of earth, as is shown in the photograph. Job has 

 given us a number of facts concerning the life history of the 

 Ostrich, but he fell into one or two err( irs. 



The eggs of the Ostrich are round and white and about twenty 

 times the size of a hen's ei^i^. The white colour of the shells is 

 a great protection in sinmlating the light sand in which the\- are 

 laid. 



During the breeding" season the large ilocks separate, several 

 females being taken under the protection of one male bird. In 

 some isolated i)art of the desert, a shallow basin is scraped in the 

 sand, and all the hens lay their eggs in this simple nest. When 

 about a dozen are de])osite(k the male begins to brood, sitting 

 closely all night, surmunded bv his females. During the day. the 

 birds relieve one another, more to guard their treasure from 

 jackals than to forward the process of hatching, for that is often 

 left to the heat of the sun. The grey colour ot" the females is 

 thus a ])rotection to ibcni when near the nc-st in [hv (la\ . while 

 the male. ap])roaching nnK at night, needs no such jtrotection, 

 and has body feathers of jet black. 



( )striches show the greatest solicitude for tluir Mumg. The 

 niale will sham a broken leg. or ilerct-ly attack ruiything which 

 threatens the safety of his family. The ( )Ntrich is a bir<l of great 

 strength, and very dangerous when angry, kicking <>ut \ioUntl\ 

 in all directions. Notwithstanding the great weight of a full- 

 grown bir<l, already stated, the immense strength of its legs gives 



