66 The Ostriches 



turned daily in the nest by the birds, and are incubated forty-two days, the male 

 taking the nest at five in the afternoon, where he remains on duty until nine the 

 following morning, when the female goes on duty. The chicks, when hatched, are 

 about the size of a domestic hen and present a mottled appearance. They grow 

 about one foot in height every month, until they attain full growth, about seven 

 to eight feet, when they will weigh from three to four hundred pounds. When 

 fourteen months old the plumage generally changes, the female taking on a dull 

 gray and the male a glossy black, both growing long white wing-feathers." 



