THE STORY OF THE OSTRICH. 



361 



ing stones, sand, bones, or even pieces of metal, to aid in digestion. In 

 captivity this habit probably becomes abnormally developed; and I know 

 of instances where even the constitution of an ostrich could not resist the 

 effects of some of the substances swallowed. Among the ordinary food of 

 the ostrich are comprised many small animals, birds, snakes, lizards and 

 insects, as well as grass, leaves, fruits, berries and seeds. 



I knew of one that swallowed some broken bits of glass and died in 



A MALE OSTRICH. 



great agony. It was a female. So devoted was the male that he pined, 

 and died of grief. 



The ostrich is chiefly valuable for its plumage, and the Arabians have 

 reduced the chase of it to a kind of science. They hunt it on horseback, and 

 begin their pursuit by a gentle gallop; for, should they at the outset use 

 the least rashness, the matchless speed of the game would immediately carry 

 it out of their sight, and in a very short time beyond their reach. But when 

 they proceed gradually, it makes no particular effort to escape. It does 



