OSTRICHES. 141 



Jaques, I may as well mention here, soon grew very- 

 tame ; but, being we never knew why persistently 

 snubbed by all the other pets, was driven to the com- 

 panionship of the fowls, with which he struck up a 

 close friendship ; spending most of his time among 

 them, and always coming with them to be fed. He 

 would also forage about in the kitchen for scraps ; 

 and, if disappointed in his search, would utter his des- 

 ponding cry, and seem quite heart-broken. He was a 

 handsome bird ; with delicately-pencilled plumage of 

 different shades of grey and brown, a little neat crest 

 on his head, and absurdly small feet, which looked as 

 if they could not possibly support so large a body. 

 Unfortunately, poor Jaques did not live to attain his 

 full size, but poisoned himself with pumpkin seeds ; 

 which had been carelessly dropped on the kitchen 

 floor, in spite of repeated orders that these seeds 

 being a deadly poison to turkeys should always be 

 instantly burnt as soon as a pumpkin was cut open. 

 We lost several of our turkeys through the neglect of 

 this rule by the stupid Hottentot girls. 



Although little ostriches are such good travellers, it 

 is anything but easy to transport full-grown ones 



about the world. They are wretched sailors, as T 



has found to his cost ; for when, some time ago, he 

 took several pairs of birds to Sydney, about half of 

 them died at sea. The day before they were shipped 

 from Port Elizabeth they were placed in a store where 

 there was a large quantity of tobacco, on which some 

 of them regaled, with the consequence that before they 



K 



