J. E. Dl'KKDKN li)7 



to th«» m-Kxmfl hyhri<l genemtion (f\) Imvr yvl Immh narrd. Tlw 

 earlier mating were carriiMl out with whiohrvcr of thr northrrn bircin 

 hup|)em'<i U> attain sexual maturity, irrrs|M'rtivo of their phiiiiagf 

 qualiticM or other chanieti'rs; but with thf abundant niat<Tial now 

 avaihible cn>sse8 iixv made with a definiiv pur|)<>s<! in view. Th<! long 

 periml Ix'tween the niatiirity of one gcniTation and thr n<'Xt, usually 

 between throe and four years, necessarily renders j)rogress slow'. 



The distinguishing characters of the northi-rn and the southern 

 ostrich an* jvs follows : 



A. The North Afric^m Ostrich, »SV/M^/a'o cr(m<'///.«< Liiuj. The sp<*cies 

 is hirger and strong(»r than the South African bird, tht; h<'ad reaching 

 about 8J feet fmm the gnaind ; the length of the body from the tip of 

 the bi'ak t^) the end of the tail is about 8 feet, and the total weight 

 about 275 lbs. The neck is also longer, about 3A feet in length, and the 

 body feathers extend upwanls for about IJ feet. The legs are longer, 

 thicker and uu)re robust, the knee joint being at le«ist 4 feet from the 

 ground, and the feet are larger; a claw is sometimes present on the 

 small toe and the seniles over the large toe may show one or, rarely, two 

 breaks. 



The number of wing plumes, or remiges, is about 8() to each wing, 

 but varies from 33 to 39. 



The colour of the skin in immature birds of both sexes, <is well ;is of 

 mature hens, is a creamy yellow, while the mature cock is bright red or 

 scarlet on the legs, heiid and neck, and^ red or pink over the body 

 generally. 



The crown of the head has a bald patch, either single or partly 

 divided (Text-tig. 1, p. 158). 



The egg is smooth, as if jx)lished, practically free from deep pittings 

 or pores, and larger and more rounded than that of the southern bird. 

 The average long diameter is 6'15 inches and short diameter 535 inches 

 and weight 3 lbs. 11 oz. (PI. VII, fig. 3). 



Found in Northern and Western Africa, and in times past ranged 

 eastwards to Abyssinia, Arabia and South Palestine. 



B. The South Afriwm Ostrich, Struthio australis Guvnvy. Smaller 

 than the North African, the less size being due to the slender and 

 shorter legs and neck rather than to any difference in the size of the 



' The wild ostrich breeds when about four years old but the domesticated bird, largely 

 as a result of hiph nutrition as a chick and young bird, along with a certain amount of 

 anconscious selection, now usually breeds when between two and three years old, though 

 chicks are sometimes hatched from birds under two years. 



11 2 



