4i 
The venison is said to be of a delicious flavor and texture, and 
it is somewhat remarkable, considering the facility with which 
the animal breeds under domestication, that they have not 
been naturalized to a greater extent in Europe/ It has been 
found that they readily withstand the winters of France and 
England, though the greater extreme of cold in our own 
climate is more than they can bear without shelter. 
The Ostrich (Struthio camelus )—during the warm weather 
kept out of doors—will be found in winter occupying a large 
pen on the east side of this building. This bird is the female 
remaining of a fine pair which the Society purchased shortly 
after the opening of the Garden. 
They are natives of the hot, sandy plains in the interior of 
Africa, over which they range in small flocks of rarely more 
than half a dozen, subsisting mainly on a species of melon 
which grows wild in those parts. The sexes are readily dis¬ 
tinguished, the males having a mixture of black in their plum¬ 
age, the females being of a grayish color. The Ostrich is 
the largest known bird now existing, its head sometimes 
reaching to a height of eight feet above the ground. Its 
long legs give it great speed—some writers having estimated 
its pace, when first startled, at fifty miles an hour. Its feet, 
padded beneath like those of the camel, adapt it to coursing 
over the shifting, movable sands of its native regions without 
sinking. 
The wings are reduced to mere rudiments, as in all the 
struthious birds, and are utterly useless for purposes of flight. 
It is said, however, that the Ostrich raises them above the 
sides and uses them as sails when—to use a nautical term— 
running before the wind. The Ostrich is much prized by the 
Bushmen, both for its eggs and feathers. 
Within the last few years a large industry has been de¬ 
veloped at the Cape of Good Hope in farming and breeding 
Ostriches for the feathers, which now make a considerable 
article of export. The demand for the birds has become so 
great, at that point, that they are becoming rare outside 
of Africa. It would appear probable that with some little 
trouble these birds could be acclimated on the sandy plains 
in Arizona and lower California. 
The Oryx ( Oryx leucoryx ) is one of the innumerable tribe 
of antelopes inhabiting Africa. It is conspicuous for its long, 
