THE OSTRICH. 225 



guttural cries, which so much resemble the roaring of a 

 lion, though more feeble, that the Hottentots are some- 

 times deceived ; and one of the employes of the mena- 

 gerie of Paris mistook it many times in the night. 

 Mr. Hardy confirms this fact. The female flies before 

 the male. The pursuit continues four or five days, 

 during which the male neither eats nor drinks. The 

 female does not separate from the male, and only quits 

 him when the education of tha family is completed. 



IX. 



BOTH sexes take part in making the nest; some say 

 that the nest is built on flat ground, and in open 

 places, others on ground a little elevated and sur- 

 rounded. These differences evidently arise out o 

 local conditions. 



The nest is dug out of the sand by the beak ; the 

 thrown-out sand is disposed all round, forming a 

 projecting rim ; on the outside a trench is dug for 

 carrying off the water. Laying is rapid or slow, 

 according to the greater or less abundance of food, and 

 even according to its quality. All the females of the 

 same household lay their eggs in the same nest. 



One female will lay from twenty-five to thirty eggs, 

 each egg being equal in weight to about twenty-fivo 



Q 



