Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-04-29
The Ostrich.

| The greatest feat Of an Arab-hunter is
to capture an ostrich. 1t is the largest of
living birds, and probably the swiftest
OF all running animals. Being very shy
and cautious, and living on the sandy
| plains, where there is little chance to
take it by surprise, it can only be cap
tured by a well-planned and long-con-
tinued pursuit with the swiftest horses.
| The ostrich has two curious habits in
running when alarmed. 1t always starts
off with outspread wings, against the
wind, so that it can scent the approach
Of an enemy. Its sense Of smell is so
keen that it can detect a person at
great distance, long before one can be
seen. The other curious habit is that of
running in circle. Usually five or six
ostriches are found in company. When
discovered, part Of the hunters, mounted
on fleet horses, will pursue the birds,
while the other hunters will gallop away
at right angles to the course the ostriches
have taken. When these hunters think
they have gone far enough to cross the path
the birds will be likely to take, they watch,
upon some rise of ground, for their ap-
proach. If the hunters hit the right
! place and see the ostriLhes they at once
start in pursuit, with fresh horses, and
sometimes overtake one or two of the
BIRDS, but often two or three of the
fleet horses fall, completely tired out
with so sharp chase. (See Job xxx.
49,
When taken the ostrich may defend
itself by kicking out sideways, and is
able to give quite dangerous blow to
anyone within it's reach. DR.. Living
stone found that it could run at the as
tonishing speed of twentv-six miles an
hour. When running at this speed the
feet and legs of the bird could no more
be seen than the spokes of a rapidly-re-
volving wheel. The length of its stride
Or step is then from twenty-five to TWEEN
| ty-eight feet.
Ihere are nine passages in the Bible
which are believed to refer to the os-
trlch. In six or seven of them the He
brew words are translated "owls" in our
English version, though the correct
reading (ostrich) is given in the margin
with references in most of these cases.
The ostrich is one of the tallest of
birds, being seven or eight feet high
Each of it's wings with its feathers is
about three feet long. The long feath-
ers are generally white. These are
counted very valuable, and are much
worn and highly priced, as many of our
| young readers know.
The young people among the Egyp-
tians in the days of Moses liked to wear
an ostrich feather quite as well as the
American girls. 1t was part of the
head-dress of one of their gods, and was
a sign of truth or justice. The feathers
were also worn by Egyptian soldiers,
| and by priests at religious festivals.
When Arabs wish to call anyone very
dull, they say, Stupid as an ostrich"
They say it is stupid because when
hunted it sticks its head INTO bush and
thinks the hunter does not see it, and be-
cause 1t will swallow hair, wood, cord,
stones, nails and other substances with
great voraeity. Date stones are favor
lie food. DR.. Shaw saw one swallow
some bullets, hot from the mold, and
another traveller lost his pocket-knife
and big buckle in the same manner
The UaaiUersazist