NATURAL HISTORY, 13 
OSTRICH. 
"Turs bird, according to naturalifts, is one of the 
largeft in the world. The head, which is like that of a 
duck, rifes to the height of a man on horfeback. ‘The 
body is like a camel, and has two fhort wings, which, 
though exceeding {ftrong, are not expanfive enough to 
- buoy it from the farface of the earth; but, with 
their affiftance, added to the length of its legs, it ex- 
ceeds in {peed the {wifteit Arabian. It has legs and 
thighs like a heron, and each foot has three claws cov- 
ered with horn, the elaftic ftrength of which greatly 
facilitate and increafes its flight. 7 
Its eggs are folarge, that they commonly weigh 
fifteen pounds. ‘That they difregard their future 
progeny, Kolben denies, having feen them fet on their 
eggs at the Cape of Good Hope. She, however, de- 
- ferts them by day; but, like other birds, returns to 
them at night. ‘Ihe climate at the Cape requiring 
. her brooding heat, itisa natural inftinét; but, in 
thofe parts of Africa, nearer the equator, we con- 
ceive they do, as reported, leave their eggs to be 
hatched by the fun, but not without the precaution 
of covering them with fand, and bringing worms and 
other provifions forthe young, when hatched; for, 
in birds, asin other creatures, nature conforms to the 
foil and climate whieh they are to inhabit. The fim- 
licity and ignorance of the oftrich is particularly ob- 
feiaes le, in its only hiding its head to fecure its body 
from the attack of the hunters. . 
The amazing power poffeffed by this bird, of digeft- 
ing ftones, iron, and other crude fubftances, evinces 
_ the wifdom of the Creator, in giving it the faculty of 
_ turning to nutriment thofe things whichits barren 
and native deferts only afford. 
_ The oftrich feems to fill one of thofe voidsin na- 
_ ture, between the quadruped and feathered race, as 
the bat does another; the former refembling the 
‘camel, inthe fame proportion as the bat does the 
- mowle. 
