CHAPTER XXXVII 

 ORDER OF WINGLESS LAND BIRDS 



RATITAE 



LOWEST of tlie Orders of living birds is that which con- 

 -' tains the birds which are so nearly wingless that they 

 are wholly unable to fly, but are provided with long and power- 

 ful legs, which enable them to run swiftly. Of these there are 

 a larger number of species than might be supposed, but our 

 purpose requires here only the briefest introduction of a few 

 important forms. The majority of the birds of this group 

 are birds of great size, and their legs are so long and powerful 

 they are able to kick or strike quite dangerously. These are 

 the ostriches, rheas, cassowaries and emus. 



The African Ostrich^ is the largest living bird, and in 

 every respect it is a worthy descendant of the still more 

 gigantic but now extinct moa of New Zealand. A full-grown 

 male Ostrich stands, when fully erect, 8 feet in height to the 

 top of its head, and weighs about 275 pounds. The manager 

 of the Florida Ostrich Farm at Jacksonville states that the 

 average weight o| adult African Ostriches is about 300 pounds. 

 Once abundant in nearly all the dry and open country of 

 Africa, except the Sahara and Libyan deserts, this noble 

 bird has shared the fate of the elephant, rhinoceros, buffalo 

 and giraffe. To-day it is to be found but sparingly, and only 



' Stru'thi-o cam'e-ltis. 

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