142 HOME LIFE ON AN OSTRICH FARM. 



had been at sea a week three were dead from nicotine 



poisoning. T does not mind a story told against 



himself, so I may mention that a plan adopted by him 

 with a view to ensuring the comfort and cleanliness of 

 the birds during the voyage did not as regards the 

 former advantage turn out quite a success. He car- 

 peted the pens with cocoa-nut matting ; and when the 

 vessel began to roll, and the birds sat down, their legs 

 were terribly chafed and rubbed by the roughness of 



the matting. And although T , to procure rag 



wherewith to bind up their sores, recklessly sacrificed 

 shirts, pocket-handkerchiefs, and whatever other linen 

 came to hand, several succumbed. The survivors did 

 so well in Australia that arrangements were made to 

 carry on ostrich-farming in that country on a large 



scale ; and T was about to export two hundred 



birds when the Cape Government, hearing of the pro- 

 ject, imposed an export duty of 100 on every ostrich, 

 and 5 on each egg. 



Ostriches are very bad railway travellers ; and avail 

 themselves of every possible opportunity of coming to 

 grief in the cattle-trucks ; in which they often seem to 

 be too closely packed. And as for their behaviour 



when travelling on foot, T has had some experience 



of the infinity of trouble they can give to those in 

 charge of them. Having once bought a troop of ninety 

 birds on the West Coast, he accompanied them himself 

 on the long journey to Port Elizabeth. One night 

 there was a stampede ; and when daylight broke over 

 the vast plain not one ostrich was in sight. Of course 



