THE OSTHICH. 227 



mother destines them for the first nourishment of those 

 which are about to be hatched. Experience has con- 

 vinced me of the truth of this assertion ; and whenever 

 I have found the nests of ostriches, many eggs have 

 been found separated in this way." 



The information of M. Vafllant is confirmed by 

 that which Achmet, quartermaster of the spahis, 

 related to M. Aucapitaine in 1856. " At the moment," 

 says he, "when the young are hatched, the mother 

 goes to seek one of the supernumerary eggs, breaks 

 it, and makes the young ones partake* of the nourish- 

 ment." According to other natives, she conducts her 

 young ones to the nutritious eggs, and makes them 

 open them. The report sent from Geryvillo to the 

 Zoological Society (Paris), asserts beyond this, that 

 if the ostrich should break one of the eggs on which 

 she is sitting, she replaces it by one of the outside 

 eggs. Livingstone says that, according to the natives 

 of South Africa, the supernumerary eggs are intended 

 for the need of those first hatched, " in order that 

 they may wait until the others are hatched, and that 

 all may then go together to pasture elsewhere ; " an 

 explanation which has some appearance of truth, as 

 the hatching takes place successively. 



Incubation takes place day and night, or at night 

 only, according to the degree of the circumambient 

 temperature. The carcases of jackals, which are 



Q2 



