CHASE OF THE OSTEICII 399 



of the acacias, the hard dry leaves of the mimosas, or the prickly 

 Naras whose deep orange-coloured pulp forms one of their 

 favourite repasts ; others agitate their wings and ventilate the 

 delicate plumage, the possession of which is soon to prove so 

 fatal to them. No other bird is seen in their company — for 

 no other bird leads a life like theirs ; but the zebra and the 

 antelope are fond of associating with the ostrich, desirous 

 perhaps of benefiting by the sharpness of his eye, which is 

 capable of discerning danger at the utmost verge of the horizon. 

 But in spite of its vigilance, misfortunes are already gather- 

 ing round the troop, for the Bedouin has spied them out, and 

 encircles them with a ring of his fleetest coursers. In vain 

 the ostrich seeks to escape. One rider drives him along to 

 the next, the circle gradually grows narrower and narrower, and, 

 finally, the exhausted bird sinks upon the ground, and receives 

 the death-blow with stoical resignatiorr. 



But the exertion of a long protracted chase is not always neces- 

 sary to catch the ostrich, for before the rainy season, when the 

 heat is at its height, he is frequently found upon the sand 

 with outstretched wings and open beak, and allows himself to 

 be caught after a short pursuit by a single horseman, or even 

 by a swift-footed Betchuan. 



To surprise the cautious seal the northern Eskimo puts on a 



skin of the animal, and imitating its motions mixes among the 



unsuspicious herd ; and, in South Africa, we find the Bushman 



\ resort to a similar stratagem to outwit the ostrich. He forms a 



kind of saddle-shaped cushion, and covers it over with feathers, 



i so as to resemble the bird. The head and neck of an ostrich 



are stuffed, and a small rod introduced. Preparing for the 



[ chase, he whitens his black legs with any substance he can 



* procure, places the saddle on his shoidders, takes the bottom 



part of the neck in his right hand, and his bow and poisoned 



arrows in his left. Under this mask he mimics the ostrich 



to perfection, picks away at the verdure, turns his head as 



if keeping a sharp look out, shakes his feathers, now walks, 



\ and then trots, till he gets within bow-shot, and when the flock 



runs, from one receiving an arrow, he runs too. Sometimes, 



: however, it happens that some wary old bird suspects the cheat, 



>and endeavours to get near the intruder, who then tries to get 



1 out of the way, and to prevent the bird from catching his scent. 



