272 BEASTS AND MEN . 
succumbs. In this way nothing happens to alarm the other 
birds in the neighbourhood, and half a dozen are often slain 
one after the other. If a gun had been used, the whole flock 
would of course have been scared away at the first discharge. 
The Bushmen in South Africa hunt ostriches somewhat 
differently. ‘They cover their heads and bodies with the skins 
of dead ostriches, so that when walking along they much re- 
semble real ostriches. They can thus approach to within 
close distance of a flock and shoot the birds with their poisoned 
arrows. The Bedouins hunt ostriches by riding them down 
with swift horses—a sport of which they are very fond. One 
of my huntsmen on a journey to the interior once rode down 
and killed with a sword no fewer than three male ostriches in 
succession, without changing his horse. 
To persons considering the possibility of establishing 
ostrich-farms, my advice would be to begin with only a few 
breeding pairs, so that, if their inexperience should lead to 
failure, the loss will not be on too largea scale. This, I may 
mention, is the course recommended by the Government of 
Cape Colony to the farmers in that country. Although by 
this method success can only come slowly, it is likely to be 
much more sure, for an ambitious beginning usually results in 
a premature end. It will perhaps be objected to my proposal 
for the establishment of so many ostrich-farms, that the supply 
of feathers would soon outrun the demand, and that therefore 
their value would sink so as to render the business unprofit- 
able. To this my reply is that I have little doubt that be- 
fore long laws will be passed in civilised countries for pro- 
hibiting the importation of feathers from ornamental birds 
for ladies’ hats. An immediate result of such legislation 
would be that the demand for and consequently the value of 
ostrich feathers would rapidly increase ; so that there is little 
danger that this commodity will ever become a drug on the 
market. 
