ON THE OSTRICHES. 213 
looked exceedingly healthy. A boy was in attendance, 
which will be continued a little longer till they are strong 
enough to join their elder brothers and sisters. This 
little family is carefully housed every night in a warm 
covered stable. We forgot to say the older flock are put 
in a kind of kraal within the shed, into which they can 
run when it rains. By this plan they get gradually 
accustomed to sleep out at night. The next flock we 
saw was the baby flock of fourteen, some of which 
were only a day or two old, while some were a week or 
ten days ; for, as we shall see when we come to speak 
of the « incubator/ like some of our committees, there 
is ' power to add to their number.' These were exceed- 
ingly pretty little things, like giant young partridges, 
but with the special peculiarity of having little bristles 
all over them, mixed with their down. They were 
very lively, and gathered round their guardian, and 
were some of them fed with a little cut lucerne. We 
were told that for the first day or two after their 
birth they do not eat, but seem to be looking about 
curiously upon the great world they have so strangely 
come into. Then after two days they begin to attend 
to the duties of life by setting up a mill. This is pre- 
cisely the fact. The little things, taught by instinct, 
eat no food till their gizzards are prepared, for which 
purpose they go about picking up little hard stones of 
no doubt the exact kind required. After this prepara- 
tory process is completed, they eat a little soft green 
food. This infant flock is gathered into a warm room 
at night; some of the youngest are put into the 
'mother' crib of the incubator, while others are accom- 
modated with a lodging between blankets, or otherwise 
comfortably provided for. We found by addino- to- 
