212 THE OSTRICH. 



(it must not be forgotten that the ostrich is nomadic), 

 and also whether the animal is free, tame, or captive. 



If we examine the reports sent to the Zoological 

 Society from different parts of Africa, and collected with 

 talent by M. Gosse, of Geneva, we are at first struck 

 by seeing these reports differing often in the most nota- 

 ble manner on almost all points. As to the regime of 

 the ostrich, its character, its conjugal manners, the con- 

 struction of its nest ; of the period of laying, the num- 

 ber of eggs, their arrangement, the duration and the 

 circumstances of incubation ; the numeric proportion 

 of the sexes ; of the manner in which the ostrich is 

 affected by the changes of time, or of the duration of its 

 life, these reports are quite contradictory of each other. 

 But most frequently the contradiction is but apparent ; 

 and on a little reflection one is convinced that, apart 

 from some badly observed facts and some individual 

 cases maladroitly generalized, the numerous divergen- 

 ces of the reports simply attest changes to which, in 

 order to accommodate itself to the variations of time and 

 place, the ostrich in its peregrinations is constrained 

 to conform its habits ,- so that, in fact, far from contra- 

 dicting, these reports really agree with each other. It 

 is simply this, that the habits of a wandering species 

 have not in all their details an absolutely fixed charac- 

 ter. A crowd of special cases depart from the rule, 

 this departure being confined within certain limits, afc 



