The mirror., 1920-10-21

Qay, tney DreaK their faSt on chopped let
tuce and barleymeal. Ostriches have been
known to eat pieces of glass, old shoes,
prayerbooks, copper coins and piece of
parasol; the two aforementioned delicacies
however proved fatal to the enterprising
birds who made the experiment.
The breeding of ostriches should turn
out to be very profitable undertaking
not withstanding you have to pay so much
for your parent birds. Six ostriches can
be reared on the food required by one cow,
and of course one of these birds would
sell for great deal more than an ordi-
nary cow.
The male bird in wild state may have
as many as seven mates who all lay their
eggs in the same nest, which is simply
saucer-like hollow scraped in the sand with
their feet. During the night the father
sits on the eggs, and in the daytime he
takes turns at guarding the nest but not
at incubating, because the heat of the sun
makes that unnecessary.
The egg of the ostrich weighs three
pounds and contains as much meat as
twenty-four hens eggs, so that one egg
serves as substantial breakfast for quite
large family. The shell is as hard as
an average tea-cup.
Jackals, hyenas and those curious little,
long-eared desert foxes known as fennecs,
often slyly creep about near the nest in
the hope of stealing nice egg; but should
the father catch sight of them, one deadly
downstroke of his powerful leg would put
all idea of nest-robbery out of their heads.
The eggs are hatched in incubators and
require forty-two days of genial warmth
before the ostrich chicken steps out of his
shell and looks about him for the first
time. In four years the birds are fully
grown, and it is then that their feathers
begin to be really valuable. The average
life of an ostrich is just about that of a
man, and though as a general rule the
feathers decline in value when the bird
reaches fifty years of age, yet there are
some birds which produce good plumes
even at the advanced age of seventy-fve.
The best feathers come from the male
birds. They are covered for the most part
with glossy, black feathers, while the
wings and tail are adorned with the
long, floating, white plumes which are
destined to adorn the 'picture-hat' of some
lady of fashion. About every seven
months the feathers are collected, the
larger ones being cut with knife, while
the smaller ones are plucked. One of the
societies for the protection of animals has
inspected the removal of the feathers and
is satisfied that the operation is practically
painless. Let us hope that the ostriches
feel the same way about it. 1t is in the
interest of the ostrich farmer to be very
gentle with the birds, because any injury
done to the socket from which the feathers
sprout would spoil the new growth. Be-
fore the cutting begins, stocking is
slipped over the head of the ostrich, and
he is so cowed by the sudden darkness
that he becomes as meek as a lamb, and
submits to the operation without strug-
gle.
Ostrich farms are possible not only un-
der the sunny skies of California, but also
in much colder climates. Near Hamburg
in Germany the ostriches are exposed to
the weather all the year round and are
perfectly healthy. A photograph has been
exhibited of whole flock of these birds
standing out in the SHOW in their bare
feet, and yet looking perfectly contented.
In fact it is said that in cold climates the
birds produce finer plumes in order to
keep themselves warm. Some few years
ago it was proposed by an English men,
Der of Parliament that an ostrich farm
should be started as far north as Scotland,
and there seems to be no reason why it
should not succeed.
OStricheS under wear old NAV he