110 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



to allow each bird to feed. The Ostrich is a peculiar feeder; in 

 the first place he walks rapidly on and on as he feeds, pecking a 

 few leaves here and a few there in his stride, seldom halting 

 unless he finds some plant particularly to his liking, and then 

 only for a minute or two. In the next place, he is not an indis- 

 criminate feeder, but carefully selects what he likes. This, as a 

 rule, consists of plants, which, owing to the nature of the country, 

 are few and far between. He does not, however, go systematically 

 in search of them, but strides straight on, eating those in his 

 way. Thus he travels long distances while feeding, and requires 

 several consecutive hours if he is to obtain a satisfactory meal. 

 The hen has about four or five hours to feed in the early 

 morning before she goes on to the nest ; and the cock has seven 

 or eight consecutive hours through the day, after which the 

 hen again has three or four hours in the evening, before she 

 returns to sleep near the nest. Generally, the hen has a some- 

 what longer time to feed than the cock, but her time is broken 

 into two portions, and she cannot wander so far in search of food 

 as he can, and thus has not the same opportunity of getting on 

 to new ground, where food may be more abundant, from not having 

 been visited so often, for the Ostrich is a destructive feeder, eating 

 out the plants he likes when he has not a sufficiently large run. 

 In compensation, the hen occupies the nest only half as long as the 

 cock, who, however, has his feeding lime unbroken, and half his 

 time on the nest at night. It will thus be seen that, not counting 

 the hours at night when both are sleeping (the cock on the nest), 

 the duties of incubation are very evenly divided. 



Protective Colouration. 

 The colour of each is admirably adapted to the time spent 

 on the nest, and furnish interesting examples of protective 

 colouration. It is scarcely possible to conceive a more effective 

 disguise than the sober brownish grey of the hen for day 

 sitting, and the black of the cock for night. When on the 

 nest, the Ostrich lays its head, neck, and tail flat along the 

 ground ; its naked " thighs " are covered by the wings, the plumes 

 lying close together on the earth almost hidden against the 

 bird's body. Thus only the low, long-curved body projects above 

 the surrounding level. The cock, at night, is, of course, almost 



