198 
SPORT AND WAR. 
CHAP. XXI. 
native tribes, who first dry them and then lay them 
up in their stores. 
Currie and myself stayed some time with our old 
friend Baines, but the Prince and the Governor returned 
at once to Bloom Fontein, and moved on with their 
•camp to the sources of the Modder River. 
At Baines’ homestead we were surprised to see a lot 
of tame young ostriches running about, and he told us 
of the novel mode by which they had been hatched. 
Some time before we arrived there a fine fat house¬ 
keeper of his was laid up with rheumatic fever, and he 
conceived the idea of hatching some ostriches by the 
heat from her body; fourteen eggs were therefore placed 
in her bed in rows on each side and about her, and after 
the due time of incubation the little birds began to break 
their shell; then forth came the little unfledged rascals 
that we now saw grown to such a size. Baines was rich 
in feathers, and presented us each with a bundle. We 
had a great laugh over his 6 patent incubator,’ who was 
exhibited for our special benefit. Since then all sorts 
of devices have been tried to hatch the young ostriches, 
but there is nothing like Dame Nature, or Dame House¬ 
keeper. Ostrich-farming is now becoming a great 
domestic culture in South Africa, some extensive farmers 
rearing 200 birds in the year, each being worth about 
50k sterling. It is well that they have been domesti¬ 
cated, otherwise they would very soon have disappeared, 
