172 
THE SOCIETY’S OSTRICHES. 
With regard to the most important object of rearing the 
ostrich, the production of a profitable yield of feathers, 
not much has yet been accomplished, beyond that which, 
like the rearing of the chicks, affords us satisfactory 
grounds for anticipating the happiest results in the 
future. 
The first plucking we made, being the produce of birds 
confined to scarce half an acre of ground, and being tom, 
dirty, ragged, and badly grown, was considered useless for 
trade, and being offered in Melbourne realised nothing. 
The next, taken from the birds after they had quite 
recovered their clean appearance, and though scarcely up 
to the quality that we expect for the future was a more 
successful sale, and being sent to London for disposal 
netted a sum of £26, and was pronounced a parcel superior 
to any of the Cape birds, and equal to the feathers of the 
wild ones. The third plucking, taken only from two cocks 
that had not been running with the hens, was of excellent 
quality, but this has not yet been realised. 
The manner of taking the feathers is simple and easily 
accomplished. Wh have a strong and secure yard in 
which the birds for operating upon are daily fed, and are 
therefore well accustomed to. Into this they are enticed. 
At one side is a crush panel, carefully lined with prepared 
boards placed a few inches apart, wide enough to admit 
the hand. A single bird is driven into this, and the door 
securely closed behind, leaving the ostrich in a space only 
large enough to hold his body, and affording no room for 
turning or struggling. The hand is then inserted between 
the boards at the side and the feathers carefully pulled out 
as desired. No injury whatever is done to the bird 
beyond the fright sustained and a little rufiling of the 
small feathers, with, at the worst, a scratch or two on the 
lower part of the leg. 
