THE OSTBICH. 107 



neck. The neck vibrates sinuously, but the head remains 

 stead}', thus enabling the bird, even at top speed, to look around 

 with unshaken glance in any direction. The wings lie along the 

 sides about on a level with, or a little higher than, the back, and 

 are held loosely just free of the plunging "thigh." There is no 

 attempt to hold them extended, or to derive any assistance from 

 them as organs of flight. Indeed, I doubt whether the con- 

 formation of the wings permits their being held out to any extent 

 with the edge to the front; and the front edge is thickly and 

 heavily covered with long feathers (which are regularly plucked 

 for the market). In fact, it may be said that the wings assume 

 just that position along the sides which the wind would force 

 them into when the Ostrich is running at a great pace ; their 

 position is exactly that which offers least resistance to the 

 passing wind. 



When Ostriches are startled, as by a dog; when they start 

 away to run ; or when not very hard pressed, they will often 

 run, and very rapidly, for some distance with their wings 

 raised nearly upright on each side of the neck ; just as, under 

 similar conditions, Springbucks will run with the white fan 

 on their backs raised, frequently " pronking." * When the 

 Ostrich runs thus, with its wings raised, it generally moves with 

 a high, springy, bounding step, never with the long raking stride 

 of the bird that, hard-pressed, is fleeing for its life. Raised wings 

 are undoubtedly an obstacle to the greatest pace. So the Spring- 

 buck, when he stretches himself out to run his fastest, shuts 

 down his fan, as the attitude which enables him to expand it 

 prevents his attaining to his greatest pace. When an Ostrich, 

 after a long run, is very tired, its wings sometimes droop ; this 

 is due to exhaustion ; they are never, by a running bird 

 exerting itself to the utmost, held out away from the sides to 

 lighten its weight or to increase its pace. But the wings appear 

 to be of great service in turning, enabling the bird to double 

 abruptly even when going at top speed. 



* « Pronking," the (Dutch) word used to denote the habit these Antelopes 

 have of leaping to a great height into the air, the attitude (which expands 

 the white fan) being almost exactly that of a bucking horse. 



