IN FEATHERS AND FUR. 99 
the birds, pretending to eat and shaking himself out, as much 
after the fashion of an Ostrich as an African can. 
At first they stare and are a little shy of him, but finally make 
up their minds, I suppose, that he is only an unusually awkward 
bird, and so they pay no more attention to him. Pretty soon one 
of them falls dead, shot by a poisoned arrow. That frightens the 
rest, and away they go, the sham bird among them, and every few 
minutes, as long as he can keep up, another one falls dead, till 
sometimes he kills eight or ten. 
They are often hunted by several men and horses, when it is 
not as easy to get away as it is from one. The hunters make a 
ring and drive the birds around in it till they are exhausted, and 
then rush in and knock them down with clubs. When they are 
dead the hunters take off their skins very carefully, and stretch 
them on trees or something to dry. Then the fat is boiled down 
and put away in curious bottles, made of skin from the thigh and 
leg of the unfortunate birds. The flesh is eaten. 
A singular thing about these birds, is the way they bring up 
their babies. To begin with, there are a good many eggs in the 
nest, and they are the eggs of as many different mothers, (Mr. 
Darwin says). The Ostrich does not lay an egg every day, as a 
hen does ; they are so far apart that they would not hatch out 
together. So — as I said — when a bird prepares a nest, all her 
friends contribute an egg apiece, and I suppose she returns the 
favor in due time. 
Then the feeding is another odd thing. You know our birds 
leave the little ones in the nest, and both Father and Mother go 
off to hunt worm's and other food for them. But no such way will 
do for baby Ostriches. Both parents stay at home to protect them, 
and other Ostriches — nurses, I suppose they ought to be called — 
come and lay eggs for the babies. When they need a lunch, one of 
the eggs is broken and they are fed. 
Ostrich eggs are much nicer than hens' eggs, and one of them 
weighs three pounds, and is equal to about two dozen of the hen's. 
They are very convenient for the hunter to find in the desert, 
for they not only furnish a delicious meal, but the dish to cook it 
in. He just sets the egg on the fire, breaks a hole in the top, and 
puts in a stick to stir it, and when done, he eats it out of the same 
dish. 
The natives use the shells instead of cups and pails, to bring 
