210 REPORT 
from him, and though I wrote to remind him directly 
I heard there was an opportunity of a ship direct to 
Australia, his reply has not yet come to hand. When 
it does, it shall be forwarded to you. Meanwhile, I 
can only tell you what I have myself heard. Ostrich 
farming continues to be most profitable, and the 
feathers, now that the art of stripping them out has 
been acquired, sell as well as those of wild birds. The 
great source of increase arises from the farmers 
watching, by means of natives, where the wild ostriches 
make their nests, and capturing the young ones 
directly they are out of the egg ; but the domesticated 
ostriches also breed freely, though they often wander 
to a distance before they build a nest. In the Eastern 
Province, however, the incubator is used in preference 
to leaving the eggs to be hatched in the natural mode, 
and there are several patents, but that most approved 
is the invention of Mr. Douglas, formerly a squatter in 
Australia, and now an ostrich farmer here, and 
Dr. Atherstone promised to get from him full particulars. 
I hear that it costs as much as £40. It is said to be 
thoroughly successful, since a sort of gimlet has been 
used to aid the young birds to come out of the shell. 
This is done in nature by the bill of the parent, and it 
was at first attempted to imitate the process by the 
tap of a hammer. It was found, however, that the 
young birds, though they came out alive, died directly 
-afterwards, and on examination this was found to 
result from concussion of the brain. I have seen 
young birds just hatched by the boring process perfectly 
healthy. If the society desire to possess a Douglas's 
incubator, I shall be happy to procure and ship one of 
them. Perhaps it will be better to wait until they hear 
