THE OSTRICH 5 



Wade Park Zoological Gardens, at Cleveland, Ohio, had 

 good cause to know what an angry male Ostrich can do. 



To clean out the pen, it was needful for him to coax 

 or drive his charge into a separate enclosure. He 

 had found that the best weapons of defence were an 

 ordinary garden rake, and a handy whip. Thus armed 

 he entered. 



The Ostrich at first gave way before the lifted rake, 

 but suddenly, after running back, he turned and rushed 

 like a whirlwind at the intruder. " I raised my rake," 

 says the keeper, who himself tells the story, "but he 

 jumped high in air, and as he descended close beside me, 

 struck me with both feet, knocking me into a corner of 

 the pen. There, while I lay prostrate, he tried to kick 

 me to death." 



Had the unfortunate man been in the oj3en, he would 

 have been killed in a few moments. As it was, the great 

 bird did his best. " He would raise his foot high in the 

 air, then kick downward like lightning. His feet inflicted 

 severe cuts and bruises, and tore my clothing in shreds, 

 but, owing to my position in the corner, I was able, by 

 quick dodging, to save myself serious injury, the most 

 painful wound being a very deep gash in the hip four 

 inches in length." 



The alarmed attendants finally succeeded in diverting 

 the enraged bird's attention, and the keeper, springing to 

 his feet, caught up the fallen rake. As the Ostrich again 

 rushed toward him he pressed the weapon desperately 

 against its neck, below the beak, and holding it thus, 

 belaboured it into submission with the whip. 



The usual weapon employed on Ostrich farms is a 

 forked stick, or a branch of prickly mimosa. 



The quarrelsomeness of the male Ostrich, at certain 



