176 
EAST AFRICA AND ITS BIG GAME. 
During an evening stroll in search of game I 
emerged on an open plain and tried to stalk some 
ostriches half-hidden by the jungle, with the result of 
wounding one with a shot from my 450° express at a 
distance of four hundred yards. He went off at full 
speed with the others, until, unable to continue their 
pace, he struck out a line of his own and soon 
succumbed to the effect of the bullet, which had gone 
through the middle of his body. I found him dead 
the next day, and he proved to he a fine cock bird in 
excellent plumage, and though the feathers were not 
equal in value to those of his Cape cousin, I felt none 
the less proud of my trophy. We never had much 
success with the ostriches, and only killed five during 
the whole time, though we tried stalking and driving. 
They proved more than a match for the most patient 
stalker, and were nearly always clever enough to choose 
the safest direction if we attempted to drive them. 
The ostrich is a remarkable and by no means un¬ 
graceful bird at a distance, but an analysis of his 
architecture will disappoint the least artistic eye. A 
short bill, wide, yellow, and dirty, reveals when open a 
large tongueless cavern of a mouth, while round cavi¬ 
ties, on either side of the head behind the eyes, do duty 
as ears; the parody of a tail is matched by a pair of 
embryonic wings, and a comparatively small head is 
supported by an almost bare neck of singular length, 
terminating at the breast in a kind of cushion which is as 
distinctly useful as it is unornamental. The embryonic 
wings are mainly clothed with black feathers, which 
