86 



Points on Care and Breeding of Pheasants, etc. 



Ostriches eat corn, alfalfa, vegetables, grass and green food of all sorts. They are, in- 

 deed, very greedy and will gobble nearly everything that is offered to them. They reqtiire 

 plenty of bones and gravel to aid their digestion. 



Ostriches are very fond of oranges and when they are thrown to them, they wiU catch 

 them in their open mouths and as they raise their heads, the orange can be seen, passing 

 speedily down their long necks. They will swallow most anything. It often happens, while 

 lady visitors are standing too close to their enclosure, a bird will stretch his lonk neck over the 

 fence and grab something from a hat or dress, — sometimes even jewelry — and swallow it 

 eagerly, without any investigation. It is said that even lighted tobacco-pipes have been 

 seized and swallowed before they could be rescued. 



Birds intended for breeding purposes are kept separated from those selected for feather 

 raising, single birds producing the best feathers. An ostrich is first plucked at the age of 

 seven months and then at intervals of six to eight months. After being plucked, the feath- 

 ers are carefully cleaned, sorted and dyed. The beauty of an ostrich feather depends more 

 on its width, and the length and thickness of its strands, than on the length of the quill. 



In order to pluck an ostrich, a bag or hood, is thrown over his head after which he can 

 be handled very easily. As a rule, he is led to a solid wooden box, just large enough for him 

 to stand in, and where he has no chance to turn around or kick. They have as much strength 

 as a horse, and if an inexperienced person is assailed by an angry ostrich, the best thing to do 

 is to lie down flat. The ostrich attacks by kicking, — however he cannot kick an object on 

 the ground. 



The climate of southern California is best suited to the ostrich. The bright, sunny days 

 are not so blazingly hot as those of South Africa, and a heavier crop of feathers is produced 

 as a natural protection against the chilly breezes from the ocean after sundown. 



The American Ostrich Trust in Arizona pays $600 per dozen for ostrich chicks, and the 

 American ostrich farmer has no trouble in disposing of his stock. The ostrich industry is 

 an exceedingly profitable one and grows more so every year. 



