308 



ZOOLOGY 



it in triturating its food. The nest consists of a hollow 

 scooped out of the earth, into which about thirty eggs are 

 laid. Ostrich feathers are used for ornament, and so 

 important is the commerce in these articles that ostriches 



FIG. 293. Apteryx australis with egg. From a specimen in the Royal College 

 of Surgeons, London. From Parker and Haswell, " Text-book of Zoology." 



are extensively farmed in South Africa. When reared in. 

 captivity the eggs are hatched in an incubator, and the 

 young carefully fed. The feathers are cut off and not 

 pulled out, so that the operation of gathering the feathers 

 is a painless one. 



