296 THE BLACK, OR GREAT OSTRICH. 



made of the shells of the eggs, by grinding bits of them into the form 

 of small rings. 



The Ostrich itself is chiefly valuable for its plumage ; and the Arabians 

 have reduced the chase of it to a kind of science. They hunt it on 

 horseback, and begin their pursuit by a gentle gallop ; for, should they 

 at the outset use the least rashness, the matchless speed of the game 

 would immediately carry it out of their sight, and in a very short 

 time beyond their reach. But when they proceed gradually, it makes 

 no particular effort to escape. It does not go in a direct line, but 

 runs first to one side and then to the other ; this its pursuers take 

 advantage of, and, by rushing directly onward, save much ground. 

 In a few days, at most, the strength of the animal is exhausted ; and it 

 then either turns on the hunters and fights with the fury of despair, 

 or hides its head, and tamely receives its fate. 



Some persons breed Ostriches in flocks : for they may be tamed with 

 very little trouble ; and in their domestic state few animals may be 

 rendered more useful. Besides the valuable feathers which they cast; 

 the eggs which they lay ; their skins, which are used by the Arabians 

 as a substitute for leather; and their flesh, which many esteem as 

 excellent food, they are sometimes made to serve the purpose of 

 Horses. 



In a tame state, it is pleasant to observe with what dexterity they 

 play and frisk about. In the heat of the day, particularly, they will 

 strut along the sunny side of a house with great majesty, perpetually 

 fanning 'themselves with their expanded wings, and seeming at every 

 turn to admire, and be enamored of, their own shadows. During most 

 parts of the day, in hot climates, their wings are in a kind of vibrating 

 or quivering motion, as if designed principally to assuage the heat. 



They are tractable and familiar towards persons who are acquainted 

 with them ; but they are often fierce towards strangers, whom they 

 sometimes attempt to push down, by running furiously upon them ; 

 and, on succeeding in this effort, they not only peck at the fallen foe 

 with their bills, but strike at him violently with their feet. While thus 

 engaged, the Ostriches sometimes make a fierce hissing noise, and 

 have their throats inflated and their mouths open. At other times 

 they make a kind of cackling noise, like some species of poultry : this 

 they use when they have overcome or routed an adversary. During 

 the night they often utter a doleful or hideous cry, somewhat resembling 

 the distant roaring of a Lion, or the hoarse tone, of a Bear or an Ox, as 

 if they were in great agony. 



They will swallow, with the utmost voracity, rags, leather, wood, 

 iron, or stone, indiscriminately. " I saw one at Oran, (says Dr. Shaw,) 

 that swallowed, without any seeming uneasiness or inconvenience, 

 several leaden bullets, as they were thrown upon the floor, scorching 

 hot from the mould !" 



When Mr. Adanson was at Podar, a French factory on the southern 

 branch of the river Niger, two young but nearly full-grown Ostriches 

 belonging to the factory, afforded him a very amusing sight. They 

 were so tame, that two little blacks mounted both. together on the back 

 of the largest. No sooner did he feel their weight, than he began to 



