46 TRAVELS IN 
nest, to the number of ten or twelve eacli, which they hatch 
all together, the male taking his turn of sitting on them among 
the rest. Between sixty and seventy eggs are said to have 
been found in one nest ; and if incubation has begun, a few 
are most commonly lying round the sides of the hole, having 
been thrown out by the birds on finding the nest to contain 
more than they could conveniently cover. The time of incu- 
bation is six weeks. From its not being known that the 
ostrich is polygamous, an error respecting this bird has slipt 
into the Systema Natura, where it is said that one female 
lays fifty eggs. 
The eggs of the ostrich are considered as a great delicacy. 
They are prepared in a variety of ways ; but that made use 
of by the Hottentots is perhaps the best : it is simply to bury 
them in hot ashes, and through a small hole made in the up- 
per end to stir the contents continually round till they acquire 
the consistence of an omlet : prepared in this manner w^e 
very often, in the course of our long journies over the wilds 
of Africa, found them an excellent repast. In these eggs are 
frequently discovered a number of small oval-shaped pebbles, 
about the size of a marrowfat pea, of a pale yellow color and 
exceeding hard. In one egg we found nine and in another 
twelve of such stones. 
At this place it was considered prudent to furnish our Hot- 
tentots, who attended the cattle, with fire-arms, the neigh- 
bourhood having of late been much infested by parties of 
Bosjesmen. They had not been out with the oxen above an 
hour before tlie}^ were seen returning with six strangers under 
