OSTRICHES. 113 



beautiful light plumes Lave long been used as 

 ornaments in ladies' head-dresses; and to this, pro- 

 bably, as it was diligently sought after as a valuable 

 prize to the captor, we are indebted for all we know 

 of its natural history, though still much remains un- 

 known, for no bird has been more misrepresented; first, 

 as a parent, who, after laying her eggs in the desert, 

 left them to be hatched by the sun, and cherished no 

 affection for her young. This, indeed, is the cha- 

 racter she bore in the ancient days of the prophet 

 Jeremiah, who compares the Ostrich to the unnatural 

 mothers of Zion: Even the sea monsters draw out the 

 breast, they give suck to their young ones; the daugh- 

 ter of my people is become cruel, like the Ostriches in 

 the wilderness. Lam. iv. 3. It is certainly true, 

 that she does lay her eggs in the desert, leaving them 

 by day to the warmth of a burning sun; but no 

 sooner does the evening set in, than swiftly she 

 hastens across the wild tracts of sand, over which 

 she has, throughout the day, been wandering, in 

 search of a scanty supply of food, and all night long 

 she covers them with the tenderest care. 



The American Ostriches (Struthio Rhea,) are not 

 only most affectionate, but sociable, laying together 

 in the same nest, or rather the same hole, showing 

 equal attention to their joint broods; and that they 

 are not deficient in attachment towards each other, 

 the following affecting story fully proves. 



A pair of Ostriches had long been kept in the 

 Zoological Gardens at Paris. The skylight over 

 their heads having been broken, the glaziers pro- 

 ceeded to repair it, and in the course of their work, 

 let fall a triangular piece of glass. Not long after 



VOL. II. I 



