THE OSTRICH. 41 



legs and thighs resemble those of a hen ; though 

 the whole appearance bears a strong resemblance 

 to that of a camel. But to be more particular : 

 it is usually seven feet high from the top of the 

 head to the ground ; but from the back it is only 

 four ; so that the head and neck are above three 

 feet long. From the top of the head to the rump, 

 when the neck is stretched out in a right line, it 

 is six feet long, and the tail is about a foot more. 

 One of the wings, without the feathers, is a foot 

 and a half; and being stretched out, with the 

 feathers, is three feet. 



The plumage is much alike in all ; that is, 

 generally black and white, though some of them 

 are said to be grey. The greatest feathers are 

 at the extremities of the wings and tail, and the 

 largest are generally white. The next row is 

 black and white ; and of the small feathers on 

 the back and belly, some are white and others 

 black. There are no feathers on the sides, nor 

 yet on the thighs, nor under the wings. The 

 lower part of the neck, about half way, is cover- 

 ed with still smaller feathers than those on the 

 belly and back ; and those, like the former, also 

 are of different colours. 



All these feathers are of the same kind, and 

 peculiar to the ostrich ; for other birds have se- 

 veral sorts, some of which are soft and downy, 

 and others hard and strong. Ostrich feathers 

 are almost all as soft as down, being utterly unfit 

 to serve the animal for flying, and still less adapt- 

 ed to be a proper defence against external injury. 

 The feathers of other birds have the webs broader 



