The Washington herald., 1907-06-06


with the intention of making their readers
sit up and take notice. invented many
tales about this bird that have no founda-
tion in fact Other errors came from
inadequate study Of his habits. For in
stance. we have been told from baby
hood that an ostrich buried his head in
the sand and imagined himself hid from
view. The most intimate acquaintances
Of the ostrich even his heartiest ad-
mirers do not claim that he is an intelli-
gent bird, but they deny this calumny.
He is generally poking around in the sand
looking for pebbles but when frightened
or attacked he carries his head high and
his neck stiff.
Another domestic scandal. maybe even
worse than the charge Of cowardice, IS
that the hen ostrich leaves her eggs in
the sun to be hatched by the rays Of old
Sol So far from the truth is this that
II amounts to a libel upon both Mr. and
Mrs. Ostrich. for they both sit on the
eggs. The husband prepares the nest
by scooping out a hole in the sand.
The eggs are laid in it. and when twelve
OF fifteen are deposited the period OF in
cubation begins. Mrs Ostrich sits on the
eggs from O'Clock in the morning until
about sunset Then her lord and master
takes his place for the long night vigil
and does the longest watch. This is
kept up for forty-two days.
The ostriches mate when they are
about four years old. and unless separated
by death, keep up the relation for many
years. Rarely does an ostrich have two
wives. never does he have more. In
stances are recorded Of male ostriches
which refused 20 mate after the death
of the first wife, preferring a life Of soil
tude. In the farms the mated pairs are
often kept in separate Enclosures, but on
the large places where they are allowed
free range. they establish a sort of div
ision Of territory for themselves, which
they will defend with their lives.
The ostrich is lOng-lived bird. In
captivity his end generally is the result
Of some accident, and It is not known how
long be would 1--we If left 70 himself
Birds which have been IN captivity for
forty years are still breeding and produc-
ing feathers. II is presumed by natural
lists that a century IS about the life
period Of q free ostrich. The birds
grown on American farms. where there is
plenty Of succulent alfalfa, grow to a
greater size than in Africa. Their
feathers are also broader and finer, but
not quite so strong ana tough as the wild
ones. An ostrich weighs from 375 TO $50
pounds. usually stands about eight feet
high. but may easily reach ten or eleven
feet.
He is nearly all legs, there being but
little flesh on any other part Of his body
Although he has been called the bird
Of the desert and pictures have shown
him carrying a negro on his back across
the great hot sands, as a matter Of fact,
he will drink water every day II he can
get it. and he is incapable Of bearing
a burden for more than a few miles. He
will run like the wind for twelve or
fifteen miles. and then fall exhausted
as porcelain, and most of the birds in
captivity come to their end by breaking
their legs In the fences When a leg IS
broken there is nothing 20 do but kill the
bird,
Most Of the ostriches IN American farms
are hatched in incubators This is not
new, for the Egyptians did IT some three
thousand years ago. If the eggs are taken
from the nest. the hen will lay as many
as thirty. Nearly all of them are fertile
and will hatch out an ostrich chick. which
is worth 800 when It IS six months old
and past the peril Of baby diseases. An
ostrich egg is five inches in diameter and
seven inches long. In South Africa they
are highly esteemed as an article for
human food. A single egg will make an
omelet as large as one containing two
dozen hen eggs. In the United States
they are too valuable TO eat. and there is
very little market for them for that use.
Man pets the ostrich solely for his
plumes. The most ungainly Of all birds.
his wing and tail feathers are the most
beautiful. Unlike all other birds. the
ostrich family is furnished with wing
feathers in which the quill exactly di-
vides the feather in the center. In other
birds the quill is always slightly to one
side. The ancient Egyptians noticed this.
and therefore selected the ostrich feather
as the sacred emblem of truth and ius-
2 In hr
feather is a feature Of the court dress in
nearly every country. The United States
bought all its feathers from England
until 1850. when it began direct importa-
ton from South Africa. The popularity
Of the plumes in this country has in
creased steadily. until now Il is the chief
market, consuming all the home produc-
ton and the greater part Of the African
output.
The first American ostrich farm was
at San Diego. Cal, by ". II.
Bentley, in 1883. The first South African
farm had heen started by Arthur Doug
lass in 1867. Before that the supply of
feathers had depended upon the native
hunters. Argentina took up the business
also. and the consequence was that the
price Of ostrich plumes dropped rapidly.
Then the great American demand came
along and prices were restored I'm part.
but the fabulous prices of sixty years
ago will never be reached again.
The ostriches are plucked every eight
months. A total of 330 feathers are taken
from each bird including the 26 long
black or gray plumes from the wings.
The larger feathers are clipped off with
scissors and the smaller ones pulled out
After a few weeks. the stumps Of the
ut quills become ripe. and are easily
pulled out 10 make way for the new
feathers. An average ostrich viii furnish
9ne and half pounds Of feathers a year.