176 SAFARI 



faction of the pioneer the chicks proved a success; 

 in fact, with careful feeding and housing, they soon 

 became more healthy than their parents. 



Today there are nearly 20,000 highly bred birds 

 in South Africa alone. These produce 85 per cent of 

 the world's total supply of feathers. The other 15 per 

 cent comes from North Africa, Australia and Cali- 

 fornia, each producing about 5 per cent. California 

 birds are said by experts to give feathers nearest in 

 quality and size to those of South Africa. Diet is 

 probably the determining factor in the feather quality 

 of our home state. 



In early days the best white feathers sold at seven- 

 teen shillings a pound. Now pure white feathers 

 bring as high as fifteen to twenty-five pounds a 

 pound. Price varies with fashion on one side and 

 the supply on the other. But since the altogether 

 unrelated ups and downs of both do not at all coin- 

 cide, the ostrich raiser can never be quite sure where 

 he stands. 



Wing and tail feathers are clipped when the bird is 

 seven months old, but the finest plumes come from 

 birds two to thirty-five years old. Each wing gives 

 about thirty white feathers, weighing around half a 

 pound. Double that quantity of tail feathers come 

 from a bird, but these are considered second in 

 quality. Light and dark feathers from the female 

 are not so much in demand as the fine pure white 



