92 
THE OSTRICH. 
They are polygamous birds ; one male being generally 
seen with two or three, and sometimes with five females. 
The female Ostrich, in the tropical regions, after depositing 
her eggs in the sand, trusts them to be hatched by the heat 
of the climate, and leaves the young ones to provide for 
themselves. 
ILLUSTRATIVE ANECDOTES. 
That Ostriches have great affection for their offspring, 
may be inferred from the assertion of Professor Thunberg, 
that he once rode past the place where a hen Ostrich was 
sitting in her nest ; when the bird sprang up and pursued 
him, evidently with a view to prevent his noticing her eggs 
or young. Every time he turned his horse towards her, 
she retreated ten or twelve paces ; but as soon as he rode 
on again, she pursued him, till he had got to a considerable 
distance from the place where he had started her. In the 
tropical regions, some persons breed Ostriches in flocks ; for 
they may be tamed with very little trouble ) and in their 
domestic state, few animals may be rendered more useful. 
When M. Adanson was at Podar, a French factory on the 
southern bank of the river Niger, two young but full-grown 
Ostriches, belonging to the factory, afforded him a very 
amusing sight. They were so tame that two little blacks 
mounted both together on the back of the largest. No 
sooner did he feel their weight, than he began to run as fast 
as possible, and carried them several times round the village ; 
