212 11EP0RT 
were hatched in the early part of the month of August, 
and these, with others hatched during the following 
month or six weeks, now run together and form a 
nock of forty-four fine, healthy, growing birds. Some 
of them are very large for their age, and all are 
remarkably lively and in good condition. It was very 
amusing to see how they gathered round the coloured 
boy who looked after them. They ran away to him if 
startled in any way, and came eagerly at his call. It 
was evident that their instincts had accepted him in the 
place of their original parents. These birds are now 
housed every night, and though this will no doubt be 
prudent for some time to come, on account of storms, 
yet some of the oldest look quite able to take care of 
themselves. In fact, were they with their parent birds 
they could not be gathered many of them under their 
wings or otherwise much defended from the cold. This 
group of young birds are kept in the home field, and 
we believe occasionally get a little lucerne. The con- 
dition and health of this flock of birds is a most 
satisfactory state of things. It proves most triumph- 
antly that ostriches hatched by machine, when the 
operation is properly conducted, are equally healthy 
with those that come into the world by the old estab- 
lished and ordinary process ; and that the same set of 
conditions must have been complied with, and the 
various necessary manipulations which instinct teaches 
the old birds to perform must have been successfully 
imitated in artificial incubation. We think Mr. Douglass 
told us he had lost but one since they were hatched, 
and this by accident. The next troop of this year's 
birds is a flock of sixteen. They looked to us about a 
month old— we were not told their age. These, too, 
