THE OSTRICH. 211 



IV. 



GKASS is their favourite nourishment, as well in the 

 wild state as in captivity; but to the aromatic and salty 

 vegetation of the desert they constantly add molluscs, 

 insects, and reptiles. A report addressed by Laghouat 

 to the Societe cV Acclimatation states that they eat rats, 

 jerboas, serpents, lizards, and slugs; he adds, that 

 they are very fond of grasshoppers at the Cape. The 

 ostriches bred by the farmers sometimes swallow the 

 chickens. M. Aucapitaine reports that molluscs formed 

 the favourite food of the ostrich before referred to. 



The Arabs say that the ostrich kills the viper with a 

 blow of its beak, and eats it. It eats also serpents, 

 insects, grasshoppers, scorpions, lizards, large fruits 

 called Uadj, abounding in the desert, and proceeding 

 from a creeping plant, bitter as turpentine, with leaves 

 like those of the water-melon. As soon as they come 

 out of the egg the young ostriches begin to seek insects 

 and small reptiles, and it appears that they feed them- 

 selves exclusively. 



It is agreed that ostriches support long fasts, which 

 must be the case, for the desert can only have for its 

 inhabitants beings inured to all privations ; but it is 

 not so well agreed as to the limit of time during which 

 they can remain without food. It would seem probable 

 that the limit varies according to times and places 



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