HABITS OF THE OSTRICH. 



665 



has recourse to various cunning stratagems. Thus Andersson and Galton, while trav- 

 ersing a barren plain, once hit upon a male and female ostrich, with a brood of young 

 ones about the size of ordinary barn-door fowls. This was a sight they had long been 

 looking for, having been requested by Professor Owen to procure a few craniuras of 

 the young ostrich, in order to settle certain anatomical questions ; so forthwith dis- 

 mounting from their oxen, they gave chase, which proved of no ordinary interest. 

 Says Andersson : " The moment the parent birds became aware of our intention, they 

 set off at full speed, the female leading the way, the young following in her wake, 

 and the male, though at some little distance, bringing up the rear of the family party. 

 It was very touching to observe the anxiety the old birds evinced for the safety of 

 their progeny. Finding that we were quickly gaining upon them, the male at once 

 slackened his pace, and diverged somewhat from his course ; but, seeing that we were 

 not to be diverted from our purpose, he again increased his speed, and with wings 

 drooping, so as almost to touch the ground, he hovered round us, now in wide circles, 

 and then decreasing the circumference till he came almost within pistol-shot, when he 

 abruptly threw himself on the ground and struggled desperately to regain his legs, as 

 it appeared, like a bird that had been badly wounded. Having previously fired at 

 him, I really thought he was disabled, and made quickly towards him. But this was 

 only a ruse on his part ; for on my nearer approach he slowly rose, and began to run 

 in an opposite direction to that of the female, who by this time was considerably ahead 

 with her charge. After about an hour's severe chase, we secured nine of the brood ; 

 and though it consisted of about double that number, we found it necessary to be con- 

 tented with what we had bagged." 



While breeding, the ostrich likewise resorts to various artifices to remove intruders 

 from its rude nest, which is a mere cavity scooped out a few inches deep in the sand 

 and about a yard in diameter. Thus Thunberg relates that riding past a place where 

 a hen-ostrich sat on her nest, the bird sprang up and pursued him, in order to draw 

 off his attention from her young ones or her eggs. Every time the traveler turned his 

 horse toward her, she retreated ten or twelve paces, but as soon as he rode on, pursued 

 him again. Is it not truly wonderful how parental affection at the approach of danger 

 seems to rouse the intelligence of an animal to higher exertions, and to raise it above 

 its usual sphere ! 



The instinct of the ostrich in providing food for its young is no less remarkable, for 

 it is now proved that this bird, far from leaving its eggs, like a cold-blooded reptile, to 

 be vivified by the sun, as was formerly supposed, not only hatches them with the 

 greatest care, but even reserves a certain portion of eggs to provide the young with 

 nourishment when they first burst into life : a wonderful provision, when we consider 

 how difficult it would be for the brood to find any other adequate food in its sterile 

 haunts. In Senegal, where the heat is extreme, the ostrich, it is said, sits at night 

 only upon those eggs which are to be rendered fertile, but in extra-tropical Africa, 

 where the sun has less power, the mother remains constant in her attentions to the 

 eggs both day and night. The number of eggs which the ostrich usually sits upon is 

 ten ; but the Hottentots, who are very fond of them, upon discovering a nest, seize 

 fitting opportunities to remove one or two at a time ; this induces the bird to deposit 

 more, and in this manner she has been known, like the domestic hen, to lay between 

 forty and fifty in a season. 



