OST -Rod Cc; Hw: 
Thefe eggs may be feen fufpended under the vaulted roofs not only of 
the Mabometan mofques, but alfo of the Greek and Cophtic churches, 
and could not fail of being efteemed a beautiful ornament every where, 
if the difficulty of procuring them was greater. 
Mr. Barrow thinks, that among the very few polygamous birds 
that are found in a ftate of nature, the Ofrich is one: a male is ge- 
nerally feen with two or three, and frequently as many as five of the 
females, which lay their eggs in one neft, to the number of ten or 
twelve each, which they hatch all together, the male taking his turn 
of fitting on them; between fixty and feventy eggs having been found 
in one neft; the time of incubation fix weeks: for want of knowing 
the Offrich to be polygamous, an error refpecting this bird has flipt 
into the Sy/tema Nature, where it is faid, that one female lays fifty 
eges*. The circumftance alfo of fmall oval fubftances, the fize of 
peas, of a pale yellow colour, and very hard, being found in thefe, is 
mentioned by Mr. Barrow: in one egg he found nine, and in another 
twelve of fuch ftones +. 
® Barrows Trav. in South Africa, P. 94» $ Id. ib. 
Surp, HH. Pp 
289 
