THEEE GREAT BIRDS 185 



came along, like all his fellows. But one day 

 lie got hold of the green veil of an incautious 

 visitor, and this green veil, after causing him 

 great discomfort, was finally the cause of his 

 death, and the proprietors lost a valuable bird 

 through a visitor's carelessness. 



Another proceeding of interest to visitors 

 to this ostrich farm is the "plucking" of the 

 birds. As a matter of fact, they are not 

 actually "plucked," as we think of plucking, 

 as no feather is ever pulled out. When the 

 young birds are about nine months old, one 

 is taken at a time and driven into a small 

 triangular enclosure and, generally after 

 some resistance (and these young birds are 

 very strong) a soft hood is placed over its 

 head. 



In this manner the bird is completely over- 

 come and bewildered, and makes no resist- 

 ance whatever. One strong man holds the 

 bird, in case of occasional struggles, while 

 another one with a large keen pair of scissors 

 cuts off the finest feathers. The whole thing 

 is over in a very short time and, when twenty 



