THE ARABIAN OSTRICH. r.03 



'requested by the Civil Commissioner to reply direct to your letter to him, 

 ' dated 26th March, in which you ask for information regarding the whereabouts 

 ' of the Ostrich in Northern Arabia. 



" Accordmg to Arab information the ostrich is found most plentifully about 

 ' fifty miles south-west of JAUF, about 300 miles East of the gulf of Akaba. 



" It is found also to a certain extent North of JAUF at the heads of the ^adis 

 ' which drain into Mesopotamia as far North as the Damascus Baghdad direct 

 ' route. I have eaten fresh ostrich egg in the desert 100 miles West of Kerbela ; 

 ' also 200 miles West of Basrah." 



" The ostriches are hunted by Siilaib (Sing. Sohibi), a type of nomad, thought 

 ' to be of non-Arabian origin. They live alone in small camps far out in the 

 ' desert throughout the year and have far greater lvno^^■ledge of water-holes 

 ' than the Bedouins themselves. Their hunters dress in gazelle skins and 

 ' can approach within touch of gazelle and ostriches before firing their rifles. 

 ' Their rifles are for the most part of a very old type, the reason being that 

 ' if they caiTied modern rifles, the Bedoiun would certainly take them away 

 ' from them. Otherwise the Bedouin do not molest them." 



Burton in his " Pilgrimage from Medinah " el Meccah, V. Ill, ]). 70, writes : — 

 ' Ostriches are found in El. Hejaz where the Bedouins shoot after coursing 

 ' them. Thi-oughout Ai'abia there is a belief that the ostrich throws stones 

 ' at the hunter. The superstition may have arisen from the pebbles being flung 

 ' up behind the bird by the bird's large feet or it may be a foolery of Fancy". 



Canon Tristram gives the following interesting accoimt of the methods of 

 hunting the ostrich adopted — by Ai'abs in North Africa : — • 



"The capture of the ostrich is the greatest feat of Imnting to 

 " which the Arab Sportsman aspu-es and in richness of booty it ranks 

 " next to the plunder of a caravan. But such prizes are not to be obtained 

 " without cost and toil and it is generally estimated that the captiu-e 

 "of an ostrich or two must be at the sacrifice of the fives of two horses. So 

 " wary is the bud and so open are the vast plains over which it roams that 

 " no ambuscade or artifices can be employed, and the \'ulgar resource of dogged 

 " perseverance is the only mode of pursuit. The horses so employed undergo 

 " a long and painful training, abstmence from Abater and a diet of dried dates 

 " being'^considered the best method for strengthening their A\-incl. The hunters 

 " set forth with small skins of water strapped under theu horses bellies and a 

 " scanty aUowance of food for four or five days distributed judiciously about 

 " their saddles. The ostrich generaUy lives in companies of from four 

 " to six indi^-iduals, which do not appear to be of the habit under 

 " ordinary circumstances of wandermg more than 20 or 30 mi es from 

 ■^^ their head quarters. When descried two or three huntere follow tbe 

 " herd at a gentle gallop, endeavouring only to keep the birds in sig it 



- without alarming them or driving them at full speed when they woulci 

 " soon be lost to ^iew. The rest of the pursuers leisurely proceed in a direc- 



- tion atright angles to the course which the ostriches have Jfkcn knowing 

 <« by experience theu habits of rxmnmg in a circle. Posted on ^^e W«^ -^^^^. 

 "they can find, they await for hours, the anticipated work ^^ f^ ^^ "'^/^ji^ 

 "culation upon intersectmg theu path. If fortunate enough to d te toi the 

 «' relay sets upon the now fatigued flock and frtq"<^"tty succeed, numm^^^ 



" or tio dow^, though a horse or two falls exhausted in he V^^J^ ^\ 

 "triehwhen overtaken offers no resistance beyond l-cking out skIo^^^^^^^^^^ 

 " skin on the spot is worth from 40-100 Spanish ^o "ars, b" th^^^^^^^ ^^^^^ 

 "the habit of judiciously thmnhig the feathers so that the trader can rarely 



- obtain a specimen on which the tax has not been paid^ 



The Ar-abiL ostrich has been ^^-^y^^^^^)^ T^'^Z sent 

 Lord Rothschild. In connection with tlie above Mk^n ^^ 



us the foUowmg notes which summarise what has hitherto Deen 



