4 THE BOOK OF BIRDS 



In the stormy days of the Civil War, when King's 

 men and Parliament men were marching and fighting 

 over the green fields of our fair England, the Ostrich 

 feathers wreathed round the broad hats of the Cavaliers 

 were seen all over the country, and when King Charles 

 II. "enjoyed his own again," the fashion of plumed hats 

 became general. Court gallants and all "Society" people 

 were fond of the beautiful feathers, though probably few 

 knew or cared anything about the desert bird that gave 

 them. 



I shall have something to say about the plumes of the 

 Ostrich later on, but first let us see what the bird itself 

 is like. 



With its well-poised head, its long, sinewy neck and its 

 immensely strong legs, it makes a striking figure. It 

 has plenty of spirit, too, and when roused to attack it is 

 a very formidable opponent indeed. 



Its chief weapon is its foot. It can send a hysena 

 spinning with a well-directed kick, and even larger wild 

 beasts have been kept at a distance by fear of that swift 

 blow. 



For Nature, in doing her best to make those feet 

 suited for fast running, has turned out a really fearsome 

 weapon. Long ages ago, the Ostrich had as many as 

 five toes, but gradually the middle ones — to be precise, 

 the third and fourth — grew larger at the expense of the 

 others, and as the third toe is still getting larger and the 

 fourth growing smaller, it looks as if the time will come 

 when the foot of the Ostrich will have but a single toe, 

 armed with a very powerful nail. Indeed, already this 

 nail is big enough and strong enough to infiict most 

 dangerous wounds. 



Some years ago, a new keeper of the Ostrich pen in 



