148 HOME LIFE ON AN OSTRICH FARM. 



fragility of that limb which, as we have seen, is capable 

 of inflicting so deadly a kick, and any poor bird 

 which breaks a leg has to be instantly killed. The 

 bone seems almost as brittle as porcelain ; and a com- 

 paratively slight blow is enough to splinter it into just 

 such jagged and pointed fragments as result from 

 breaking the spout of a china teapot. 



One very fruitful source of broken legs is the 

 dervish-like habit ostriches have of waltzing when in 

 particularly good spirits, and especially when first 

 turned out of the kraal in the morning. They go 

 sailing along so prettily in the bright sunshine ; their 

 beautiful wings, spread and erect, giving them at a 

 little distance the appearance of white balloons ; but 

 they have a sad tendency to become giddy and tumble 

 down, and, knowing the frailty of their legs, we do not 

 look with unmixed pleasure on the graceful perform- 

 ance. Some birds, indeed, have the sense to save 

 themselves by " reversing," which they do as cleverly 

 as practised human dancers ; but the accomplishment 

 seems rare among them, and we calculate that waltzing 

 costs us eight or ten per cent, per annum. 



Then they often fight savagely ; and the terrific 

 " thud " of the blows they deal upon each other's bodies 

 makes one tremble lest the next kick should fall on 

 one of the brittle legs ; as indeed frequently happens. 

 One day (a long drought having brought our birds 

 round the house), two splendid young cocks began 

 fighting close to the windows. In an instant one of 

 them was down ; with his leg snapped across, and all 



