264 BEASTS AND MEN 
after the eggs have been laid, they are sat upon by the hen 
during the day and by the cock at night. They are very 
large relative to the size of the bird, and contain as much food 
material as two and a half to three dozen fowls’ eggs. The 
ordinary size of a clutch is from twelve to fifteen eggs. Since, 
however, we take the eggs as soon as they are laid and put 
them in the incubator, the hen, relieved by these artificial 
means of the duty of sitting upon them, will lay as many as 
thirty good eggs a year. 
Incubator with the first chick born at Stellingen, 20th June, 1909. 
After the eggs have been placed in the incubator, a 
period of about six weeks elapses before they are hatched. 
For the first twenty-four hours after they have been hatched 
the chicks are allowed to remain in the incubator in order 
that they may become thoroughly dry. They are then 
brought into the chamber specially provided for infant 
ostriches. For the first two days their only food consists of 
the egg-shells from which they have been hatched, broken 
up into small pieces. They are then placed upon a diet of 
lucern, which, as I have already said, is kept in abundant 
