ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
8l 
the egg to the bungalow, and having learned something 
of the habits of the ostrich in its native Sahara, she got 
some dry white sand, put it into a lidless box, and half 
burying the egg within it, exposed the whole, in the 
brightest spot which she could find, to the mid-day sun, 
and when evening came she would transfer it, box and 
all, to the care of a hen, whose eggs she removed each 
day for the purpose. Strange to say, the hen took 
kindly to the task, and, in due time, the monster chick 
was hatched. The foster-mother took to flight at the 
sight of her offspring. But the girl supplied its place, 
and the young ostrich used to follow her about from 
place to place, share the bungalow with her, and eat off 
her table. But the fatal day came when a new park- 
keeper was appointed, and almost his first act was 
to claim the bird as Government property. It was 
accordingly carried off to the Government Aviary. 
The little girl, broken-hearted at the loss of her pet, 
took to her bed and became seriously ill. But a kind- 
hearted military surgeon, who happened to be calling 
on the widowed mother to see if he could do anything for 
her, heard the sad story. Through his means, it reached 
the ears of Sir John Lawrence at Simla, who, by return 
of post, ordered that the bird should be at once restored 
to its rightful owner. There was a joyful meeting be¬ 
tween the two friends. The girl soon left her bed, and 
on returning to England, a few weeks later, with her 
mother, she carried with her the gigantic pet which had 
been born and bred amidst such curious vicissitudes.” 
The male ostrich has a peculiar call which has been com¬ 
pared by some to the roar of a lion, and by Canon Tristram 
to the lowing of an ox in pain. While the bird makes 
K 
