450 
THE LIVING WORLD. 
days’ ostrich hunt, resulting in the capture of about sixty birds of all sizes, 
from the full grown adult to the two months’ old chick. They began by 
beating over a large track of the plain, and, then closing in around, the 
game started. Stout greyhounds are used to good purpose, usually pulling 
down the swiftest birds within two miles at farthest. The Indians use 
the ‘ bolas ’ with much skill, the ones used for ostriches consisting of two 
half pound leaden balls, connected by eight feet of twisted rawhide twine. 
Whirling this about the head and letting fly at the running bird, they often 
entangle his legs at a distance of thirty to fifty yards, and I was told that it 
was frequently done at one hundred. Single hunters sometimes stalk ostriches 
in the following way: Get¬ 
ting to windward of the bird, 
the latter soon scents him 
and lies down, only sticking 
up his head above the grass. 
The hunter may then creep 
directly up within shot, if 
the grass be long enough to 
shelter him.” 
Mr. Darwin, to whom 
we are indebted for most of 
our knowledge respecting 
this bird, among many other 
interesting things, thus 
writes: 
“ This bird is well- 
known to abound on the 
plains of La Plata. To the 
north it is found, according 
to Azara, in Paraguay, where, 
however, it is not common ; 
to the south, its limit ap¬ 
pears to have been from 42° 
to 43 0 . It has not crossed 
the Cordilleras, but I have 
seen it within the first range 
of mountains in the Uspal- 
lata plain, elevated between 
six and seven thousand feet. 
The}' generally prefer running against the wind, yet at the instant they 
expand their wings, and, like a vessel, make all sail. On one fine hot day I 
saw several ostriches enter a bed of tall rocks, where they squatted concealed 
till nearly approached. 
“It is not generally known that ostriches readily take to the water. Mr. 
King informs me that at Patagonia, in the Bay of St. Bias, and at Port Valdez, 
he saw these birds swimming several times from island to island. They ran 
into the water both when driven down to a point, and likewise of their own 
accord, when not frightened. The distance crossed was about two hundred yards. 
When swimming, very little of their bodies appear above water, and their necks 
CASSOWARY. 
