15 



An Ostrich Race. 



At a command from the doctor one of the M; 



ionises* 



keepers opened the doors of one of the pen-, and in re- 

 sponse to the doctor's call two superb ostriches cam 

 running to him. After caressing the gentle creatures for 

 a few moments he showed them a handful of ligs, of 

 which they are extremely fond. Two of his men then 

 restrained the birds by placing nooses about their legs 

 until he and myself had walked to the other end of the 

 course. Then at a signal from the doctor, the birds were 

 released and the race began. Ornithologists tell us that 

 the stride of the ostrich when feeding is from twenty to 

 twenty-two inches; when walking, but not feeding, twen- 

 ty-six inches, and when terrified from eleven and one- 

 half to fourteen feet. It. seemed to me that in this race 

 for a handful of figs from their master these gigantic birds 

 covered the last named distai/ice at every stride. 



Like the wind they came, their great necks stretched 

 forward and upward to their utmost length; their wings 

 like arms, working with a motion similar to that made by 

 their legs, and filling the air with a mighty sound like 

 the rushing of a whirlwind. Nearer and nearer they 

 came, their speed increasing with every moment till I 

 was almost terrified lest they should run us down, feeling 

 certain that we conld not withstand the shock. They 



