THE STRUTHIOUS BIRDS.. 225 



in the district of Tapalqneen, on the south-western frontier of Bueno's Ayres, where the species is 

 tolerably numerous, and is hunted by Europeans with dogs, and by the Indians with the well- 

 known "bolas," or balls: "We soon found," he says, "that the report we had heard as to the 

 abundance of Ostriches here had not been exaggerated, and that in whatever direction we went 

 we were sure of finding them. After riding for about a mile and a half, we viewed five birds 

 feeding in a hollow, at a distance of about seven or eight hundred yards from us, and discovered 

 that by skirting some high grass to our left we should most probably be able to get close to them 

 without alarming them ; so we at once started in that direction, taking two of the dogs with us. 

 Before we had gone a couple of hundred yards we came suddenly on an old male bird, a splendid 

 fellow, and we slipped the dogs within five-and-twenty yards of him. Then began one of the 

 most exciting runs it was ever my good fortune to witness. Away we went, through the thick 

 ' pajas,' or tufts of high reedy grass, the hounds keeping well up, and apparently rather gaining 

 ground than otherwise. In this way we ran for two miles or more, when the Ostrich, emerging from 

 the Tiigh grass, steered away across some bare hills, where he got the full force of a veiy fresh breeze 

 that was blowing at the time, of which he at once took advantage, running down and across it in an 

 oblique direction, with his left wing raised, which he made use of as a sail. The pace hitherto had 

 been good in fact, I may say, without fear of exaggeration, more than good but now that he had got 

 the wind, it was simply racing, and, in spite of all our efforts, and those of the dogs, he seemed to 

 leave us literally as though we were standing still. We kept pounding away, however, in pursuit, as 

 well as we could, for some time, when a man who was driving cattle turned him to the right, and he 

 headed straight back towards us for a few seconds before he found out his mistake ; we were thus 

 enabled to get on good terms with him again. After running for about fifteen minutes more, he 

 began to show unmistakable symptoms of distress, and one of the dogs, a large brindled one, ranged 

 fairly alongside, and was about to make a spring, when he doubled as short as if he had been fixed on 

 a movable pivot, and catching the slant of the wind, and setting his wing again, he was off like a flash 

 of lightning, and leading by nearly a quarter of a mile, the hounds having shot lengths ahead before 

 they could turn. It was evident, however, that he was tiring fast, and, although the pace was still 

 good, we got alongside again, but with no better result than another double, and another good lead 

 for the bird ; and these tactics he continued to repeat each time we neared him, always gaining an 

 immense advantage thereby. It became plain, however, that he could not last much longer, and 

 eventually the dogs pinned him, when we rode up and gave him his coup de grdce, cutting off hia 

 wings as trophies." The accounts of hunting the Ostrich in Africa which ai'e given by travellers are 

 very similar in character to the above account of the Rhea hunt, and the extract has been made prin- 

 cipally to illustrate the use of the wings as a help to the bird when it runs. The feathering of the 

 Struthious birds is most peculiar, and when viewed from a little distance the birds look as if they were 

 covered with hair instead of feathers. This appearance is enhanced by the loose character of the 

 plumage, the feathers being very long and lax, while they have none of the little barbules* which hook 

 the cross barbs together, and tend to make the feather of an ordinary bird firm and compact in itself. 



The distribution of the Struthious birds, to judge from the fossil remains which have been found, 

 was at one time much more extended than it is at the present day. They seem, however, to 

 have always been developed to a greater degree in the southern portions of the globe, and never to 

 have penetrated very far north. This is amply demonsti-ated by the presence of a large number 

 of forms of Moa (Dlnornis) in New Zealand, and the gigantic jEpyornis of Madagascar, which 

 were as much larger than the Ostriches of the present day as the latter birds are than the majority of 

 birds now living. 



The Ratitoi may be divided into two families, the Ostriches (Struthionidce), amongst which the 

 Cassowaries are classed, and the Apteryges (Apterygidce). These families have well-marked characters 

 for their distinction. 



THE FIRST FAMILY OF THE STRUTHIOUS BIRDS. THE OSTRICHES (Struthiomda). 

 In all these birds the bill is short, though powerful and robust ; it is rather flattened, and has a 

 large " nail " at the tip. The nostrils are longitudinal, and are situated at the base of the bill. The 



* See Vol. III., p. 238. 



