Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-03-28
OSTRICH FARaENG IN AFRICA.
The Businsssi IS Not PTosperoua-soxsethtnR
AbOutIh Big fIrds.


ABOUT Inc mig blros.
Saturday Review. So.
Ostrich fhrnerE In South Africa are sE
present suffering IS much from bad times
IS our aRriculturists as home. Feathers
that were formerly worth f25 now only
bring shirty shlllings, and paic Of birds
that could not be bought some years ago
under several hundred pounds, ould not
at present fetch more than sI2 Some
lime ago q gentleman "prospecung" WAS
IOokiog over = fence into a camp when an
ostrich spied diamond in bis pho, and
in sn instant picked at and swallowed 1t.
A sort OF coEt.-msrtlal WAS held, the
relative values Of the bird and the dis-
mond being accurately calculated. The
ostrich was worth Elo0 and The pin $50,
80 the ostrich WAS spared. The verdict
would now be most decidedly the other
way. The only redeemiDg feature in
ostrich farming nowadays l. the smuse-
ment to De got out Of studying the ways
If these weird b r0s, which as If only By
some mistake they had survived the
deluge, and that they would be more in
their right place im6edde in the fOsslliS-
erouS strata Of the rerIh than racing
about on its surface. Ug.v, awkward aud
oTaiplees as are these BIRDS when foil
grown, there are few young animals pref
tier than an ostrich chick during the first
few weeks OF lis life. Il bsS . sweet,
innocent, baby face, largo eyes and
plump round body.
All lis movements are c0nicsl, sri
there is an cir Of cDncei: AGd tnGepend-
ence about the tiny CreHTurs, wpile still
scarcely able 10 stxld, that IS most anus
ing Instead OF feathers the chIck has
rough coat of as many shades OF brown
and grsy IS tsilOr's pa'tern nook. This
is striped with shredS of black, the neck
oeIng covered with what resembles the
soitest SILK plush. One wou q ike these
delightful little creatures to remain al
| ways he bier, for with treir growth they
lose their round prettiness, their bodies
| become angular and l-prOportioned,
and crop of coarse, wiry feathers re-
places the pSrti- colored stripes which
| form their baby clothes.
The chicken feathers are drst plucked
ct nine months old, and look ofly TT TO
be made into busting brushes. In the
second year they are little like the os-
trich feathers OF commerce, bat stiff and
narrow, and Ii is NOT till the third year
| III IL they n..Ye attained tAtir full width
an softpess. During the two frst years
tn male and female BIRDS are AliSe; but
OF eacn moult1ng the male becomes
ds ker, until the plumage Is all black,
except the wings and toll, which are
white. l. each wing there are twenty
| four long feathers. Daring the ore eding
| season the bill Of the male bird the large
scales on The io1epart Of the leg, and
sometimes the ssIn OF the head and neck,
assume q deep rose color. Alter good
I h.
this time the male becomes savage, and
tneir blooming" is heard In all direc-
tious.
The bird l. fates It's neck like COBRA
| and GIVES TIRES deep roArs, the two first
snort nnd"sisccsto," the third prolonged.
| Waen the BIRDS are ssTaga II Is impossi-
BILE to walk about the camp unless with 8
"tackey, 1.-THE ntms given to 3 long, stout
| tboruy branch OF m,mOsa. fortunately,
npiy one bird will attack st . lime, and
only on the territory which, og some
.rI0al arrangement Is considered his ex-
elusive properly. Trus. curing morn
ipR's walk through the camp, the owner
viii De attacked by several vicious birds
iu succession, ell de- ermIGed 10 have
his lif,. II possible, yer all held C 1nplelely
in check By 8 vigorous use OF the
..ucksy." When an Ostrich challenges
he tits down, snd, f-pOiug e.cn wiog
alternately, inhs5- his neck, throws his
mead back, rolling It from side to side,
and vita eacn roll str king tae back OF
his head against his b.py BODY with SO
sharp and 1esounGiDg blow that Sc
we're h-adache seems likely to be the re-
sul.. It often hSppen- that, in seli-de-
tense, these vicious ms es Generally the
Anas- h'r-.) Ave q" ~ lied.