THE SOMALI OSTRICH 



a state of nature they swallow sand, earth, and small stones, in order to assist 

 the action of their gizzards. 



The cocks appear to be polygamous, although some doubt has been ex- 

 pressed as to whether this is really the case ; and it seems certain that several 

 hens lay in the same nest, where as many as thirty eggs may be laid in a slight 

 hollow in the sand. Incubation is undertaken by the cock alone, and it is he 

 who looks after the chicks, which he tends with remarkable care. The chicks 

 when they escape from the eggs (each of which weighs as much as twenty-four 

 hens' eggs) are as large as hens; and, with their bristly feather-quills, are 

 rather suggestive of two-legged hedgehogs. 



Ostriches are extremely shy and remarkably swift birds, so that they are 

 difficult either to stalk or to ride down. When brought to bay, or when running 

 loose in captivity, they should be approached with great caution, as a kick from 

 their strongly clawed feet will prove fatal to an animal of the size of a jackal, 

 if not also to a human being. The vision of these giant birds is very strongly 

 developed and capable of sweeping the country to the distance of at least a mile ; 

 and their senses of hearing and smell are also good, although taste appears to be 

 practically wanting. Occasionally ostriches indulge in a kind of dance ; and they 

 are also subject, when startled, to sudden collapse, which may have given rise to 

 the old fable of their burying their heads in the sand and leaving their bodies 

 exposed. 



If allowed sufficient space, ostriches thrive remarkably well in confinement ; 

 and ostrich-farming, for the sake of the lovely white plumes of the cocks, has 

 become an important industry, not only in Africa, but in many other parts of the 

 world. Ostrich-farming was commenced in Algeria, and by 1865 had been in- 

 troduced in Cape Colony, whence it has spread northwards, while it has also 

 been established in Egypt, southern Russia, California, Patagonia, and Argentina. 

 The cocks are clipped regularly every eight months. 



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