BOOK II.

OF THE OSTRICH, EMU, CASSOWARY, AND DODO.

All these feathers are of the same kind, and peculiar to the ostrich; for other birds have several sorts, some of which are soft and downy, and others hard and strong. Ostrich feathers are almost all as soft as down, being utterly unfit to serve the animal for flying, and still less adapted to be a proper defence against external injury. The feathers of other birds have the webs broader on one side than the other, but those of the ostrich have their shaft exactly in the middle. The upper part of the head and neck is covered with a very fine, clear, white hair that shines like the bristles of a hog; and in some places there are small tufts of it, consisting of about twelve hairs, which grow from a single shaft about the thickness of a pin.

The second stomach, or gizzard, has outwardly the shape of the stomach of a man; and, upon opening, is always found filled with a variety of discordant substances; hay, grass, barley, beans, bones, and stones, some of which exceed in size a pullet's egg. The kidneys are eight inches long and two broad, and differ from those of other birds in not being divided into lobes. The heart and lungs are separated by a midriff, as in quadrupeds, and the parts of generation also bear a very strong resemblance and analogy.

Such is the structure of this animal, forming the shade that unites birds and quadrupeds; and from this structure its habits and manners are entirely peculiar. It is a native only of the torrid regions of Africa, and has long been celebrated by those who have had occasion to mention the animals of that region. Its flesh is proscribed in scripture as unfit to be eaten; and most of the ancient writers describe it as well known in their times. Like the race of the elephant, it is transmitted down without mixture; and has never

At the end of each wing there is a kind of spur, almost like the quill of a porcupine. It is an inch long, being hollow, and of a horny substance. There are two of these on each wing, the largest of which is at the extremity of the bone of the wing, and the other a foot lower. The neck seems to be more slender in proportion | been known to breed out of that country which to that of other birds, from its not being furnished with feathers. The skin in this part is of a livid flesh-colour, which some improperly would have to be blue. The bill is short and pointed, and two inches and a half at the beginning. The external form of the eye is like that of man, the upper eye-lid being adorned with eye-lashes, which are longer than those on the lid below. The tongue is small, very short, and composed of cartilages, ligaments, and membranes, intermixed with fleshy fibres. In some it is about an inch long, and very thick at the bottom. In others it is but half an inch, being a little forked at the end. The thighs are very fleshy and large, being covered with a white skin, inclining to redness, and wrinkled in the manner of a net, whose meshes will admit the end of a finger. Some have very small feathers here and there on the thighs; and others again have neither feathers nor wrinkles. What are called the legs of birds, in this are covered before with large scales. The end of the foot is cloven, and has two very large toes, which, like the leg, are covered with scales. These toes are of unequal sizes. The largest, which is on the inside, is seven inches long, including the claw, which is near threefourths of an inch in length, and almost as broad. The other toe is but four inches long, and is without a claw.

The internal parts of this animal are formed with no less surprising peculiarity. At the top of the breast, under the skin, the fat is two inches thick; and on the fore-part of the belly it is as hard as suet, and about two inches and a half thick in some places. It has two distinct stomachs. The first, which is lowermost, in its natural situation somewhat resembles the crop in other birds; but it is considerably larger than the other stomach, and is furnished with strong muscular fibres, as well circular as longitudinal.

first produced it. It seems formed to live among the sandy and burning deserts of the torrid zone; and, as in some measure it owes its birth to their genial influence, so it seldom migrates into tracts more mild or more fertile. As that is the peculiar country of the elephant, the rhinoceros, and the camel, so it may readily be supposed capable of affording a retreat to the ostrich. They inhabit, from preference, the most solitary and horrid deserts, where there are few vegetables to clothe the surface of the earth, and where the rain never comes to refresh it. The Arabians assert that the ostrich never drinks; and the place of its habitation seems to confirm the assertion. In these formidable regions, ostriches are seen in large flocks, which to the distant spectator appear like a regiment of cavalry, and have often alarmed a whole caravan. There is no desert, how barren soever, but what is capable of supplying these animals with provision; they eat almost every thing; and these barren tracts are thus doubly grateful, as they afford both food and security. The ostrich is, of all other animals, the most voracious. It will devour leather, glass, hair, iron, stones, or any thing that is given. Nor are its powers of digestion less in such things as are digestible. Those substances which the coats of the stomach cannot soften, pass whole; so that glass, stones, or iron, are excluded in the form in which they were devoured. All metals, indeed, which are swallowed by any animal, lose a part of their weight, and often the extremities of their figure, from the action of the juices of the stomach upon their surface. A quarter pistole, which was swallowed by a duck, lost seven grains of its weight in the gizzard before it was voided; and it is probable that a still greater diminution of weight would happen in the stomach of an ostrich. Considered in this light, therefore, this animal may be said to digest iron;

The season for laying depends on the climate where the animal is bred. In the northern parts of Africa, this season is about the beginning of July: in the south, it is about the latter end of December. These birds are very prolific, and lay generally from forty to fifty eggs at one clutch. It has been commonly reported that the female deposits them in the sand; and, covering them

but such substances seldom remain long enough in the stomach of any animal to undergo so tedious a dissolution. However this be, the ostrich swallows almost every thing presented to it. Whether this be from the necessity which smaller birds are under of picking up gravel to keep the coats of their stomach asunder, or whether it be from a want of distinguishing by the taste what substances are fit and what incapable of diges-up, leaves them to be hatched by the heat of the tion; certain it is, that in the ostrich dissected climate, and then permits the young to shift for by Ranby there appeared such a quantity of themselves. Very little of this, however, is true: heterogeneous substances, that it was wonderful no bird has a stronger affection for her young how any animal could digest such an overcharge than the ostrich, nor none watches her eggs with of nourishment. Valisnieri also found the first greater assiduity. It happens, indeed, in those stomach filled with a quantity of incongruous hot climates, that there is less necessity for the substances; grass, nuts, cords, stones, glass, brass, continual incubation of the female; and she more copper, iron, tin, lead, and wood; a piece of stone frequently leaves her eggs which are in no fear was found among the rest that weighed more of being chilled by the weather: but though she than a pound. He saw one of these animals that sometimes forsakes them by day, she always was killed by devouring a quantity of quick- carefully broods over them by night; and Kolben, lime. It would seem that the ostrich is obliged who has seen great numbers of them at the Cape to fill up the great capacity of its stomach in of Good Hope, affirms that they sit on their eggs order to be at ease; but that nutritious sub-like other birds, and that the male and female stances not occurring, it pours in whatever offers to supply the void.

In their native deserts, however, it is probable they live chiefly upon vegetables, where they lead an inoffensive and social life; the male, as Thevenot assures us, assorting with the female with connubial fidelity. They are said to be very much inclined to venery; and the make of the parts in both sexes seems to confirm the report. It is probable also they copulate, like other birds, by compression; and they lay very large eggs, some of them being above five inches in diameter, and weighing above fifteen pounds. These eggs have a very hard shell, somewhat resembling those of the crocodile, except that those of the latter are less and rounder.

1 The ostrich is one of the few polygamous birds found in a state of nature; one male being generally seen with two or three, and frequently with five females. The females which are united to one male deposit all their eggs in the same place, to the number of ten or twelve each: these they hatch altogether; the male also taking his turn of sitting on them. Between sixty and seventy eggs have sometimes been found in one nest. The time of incuba

tion is six weeks. From the want of knowledge that the ostrich is polygamous, Linnæus has suffered an error respecting this bird to slip into his Systema Naturæ, where it is asserted, that one female sometimes lays nearly fifty eggs. M. Le Vaillant informs us, that he started an ostrich from its nest, in Africa, where he found eleven eggs quite warm, and four others at a short distance. Those in the nest had young ones in them; but his attendants eagerly caught up the detached ones, assuring him that they were perfectly good to eat. They informed him, that near the nest there are always placed a certain number of eggs which the birds do not sit upon, and which are designed for the first nourishment of their future young. Experience," says M. Le Vaillant, 'has convinced me of the truth of this observation; for I never afterwards met with an ostrich's nest, without finding eggs deposited in this manner, at a small distance from it."

During

take this office by turns, as he had frequent op-
portunities of observing. Nor is it more true
what is said of their forsaking their young after
they are excluded the shell. On the contrary,
the young ones are not even able to walk for
several days after they are hatched.
this time, the old ones are very assiduous in
supplying them with grass, and very careful to
defend them from danger; nay, they encounter
every danger in their defence. It was a way of
taking them among the ancients, to plant a num-
ber of sharp stakes round the ostrich's nest in
her absence, upon which she pierced herself at
her return. The young, when brought forth, are
of an ash-colour the first year, and are covered
with feathers all over. But in time these feathers
drop; and those parts which are covered assume
a different and more becoming plumage.

The beauty of a part of this plumage, particularly the long feathers that compose the wings and tail, is the chief reason that man has been so active in pursuing this harmless bird to its deserts, and hunting it with no small degree of expense and labour. The ancients used those plumes in their helmets; the ladies of the East make them an ornament in their dress; and, among us, our undertakers and our fine gentleSome time after this M. Le Vaillant found a female ostrich on a nest containing thirty-two eggs; and twelve eggs were arranged at a little distance, each in a separate cavity formed for it. He remained near the place some time, and saw three other females come and alternately seat themselves on the nest; each sitting for about a quarter of an hour, and then giving place to another, who, while waiting, sat close by the side of her whom she was to succeed. If the eggs are touched by any person in the absence of the parents, they immediately discover it by the scent, at their return; and not only desist from laying any more in the same place, but trample to pieces with their feet all those that have been left. -ED.

men still make use of them to decorate their hearses and their hats. Those feathers which are plucked from the animal while alive, are much more valued than those taken when dead; the latter being dry, light, and subject to be

worm-eaten.

Beside the value of their plumage, some of the savage nations of Africa hunt them also for their flesh, which they consider as a dainty. They sometimes also breed these birds tame, to eat the young ones, of which the female is said to be the greatest delicacy. Some nations have obtained the name of Struthophagi, or ostrich eaters, from their peculiar fondness for this food; and even the Romans themselves were not averse to it. Apicius gives a receipt for making sauce for the ostrich; and Heliogabalus is noted for having dressed the brains of six hundred ostriches in one dish; for it was his custom never to eat but of one dish in a day, but that was an expensive one. Even among the Europeans now, the eggs of the ostrich are said to be well tasted, and extremely nourishing; but they are too scarce to be fed upon, although a single egg be a sufficient entertainment for eight men.

The Struthophagi have another method of taking this bird; they cover themselves with an ostrich's skin, and passing up an arm through the neck, thus counterfeit all the motions of this animal. By this artifice they approach the ostrich, which becomes an easy prey. He is sometimes also taken by dogs and nets, but the most usual way is that mentioned above.

When the Arabians have thus taken an ostrich, they cut its throat, and making a ligature below the opening, they shake the bird, as one would rinse a barrel; then taking off the ligature, there runs out from the wound in the throat a considerable quantity of blood, mixed with the fat of the animal; and this is considered as one of their greatest dainties. They next flay the bird; and of the skin, which is strong and thick, sometimes make a kind of vest, which answers the purposes of a cuirass and a buckler.

There are others who, more compassionate or more provident, do not kill their captive, but endeavour to tame it, for the purposes of supplying those feathers which are in so great request. The inhabitants of Dara and Lybia breed up whole flocks of them, and they are tamed with very little trouble. But it is not for their feathers alone that they are prized in this domestic state; they are often ridden upon, and used as horses. Moore assures us, that at Joar he saw a man travelling upon an ostrich; and Adanson asserts, that, at the factory of Podore, he had two ostriches, which were then young, the strongest of which ran swifter than the best English racer, although he carried two negroes on his back. As soon as the animal perceived that it was thus load

several circuits round the village; till at length the people were obliged to stop it, by barring up the way. How far this strength and swiftness may be useful to mankind, even in a polished state, is a matter that perhaps deserves inquiry. Posterity may avail themselves of this creature's abilities; and riding upon an ostrich may one day become the favourite, as it most certainly is the swiftest, mode of conveyance.

As the spoils of the ostrich are thus valuable, it is not to be wondered at that man has become their most assiduous pursuer. For this purpose, the Arabians train up their best and fleetest horses, and hunt the ostrich still in view. Perhaps of all other varieties of the chase, this, though the most laborious, is yet the most entertaining. As soon as the hunter comes within sight of his prey, he puts on his horse with a gentle gallop, so as to keep the ostrich still in sight; yet not so as to terrify him from the plained, it set off running with all its force, and made into the mountains. Of all known animals that make use of their legs in running, the ostrich is by far the swiftest; upon observing himself therefore pursued at a distance, he begins to run at first but gently; either insensible of his danger, or sure of escaping. In this situation he somewhat resembles a man at full speed; his wings, like two arms, keep working with a motion correspondent to that of his legs; and his speed would very soon snatch him from the view of his pursuers; but, unfortunately for the silly creature, instead of going off in a direct line, he takes his course in circles; while the hunters still make a small course within, relieve each other, meet him at unexpected turns, and keep him thus still employed, still followed for two or three days together. At last, spent with fatigue and famine, and finding all power of escape impossible, he endeavours to hide himself from those enemies he cannot avoid, and covers his head in the sand, or the first thicket he meets. Sometimes, however, he attempts to face his pursuers; and though in general the most gentle animal in nature, when driven to desperation, he defends himself with his beak, his wings, and his feet. Such is the force of his motion, that a man would be utterly unable to withstand him in the shock.

The parts of this animal are said to be convertible to many salutary purposes in medicine. The fat is said to be emollient and relaxing; that while it relaxes the tendons, it fortifies the nervous system; and being applied to the region of the loins, it abates the pains of the stone in the kidneys. The shell of the egg powdered, and given in proper quantites, is said to be useful in promoting urine, and dissolving the stone in the bladder. The substance of the egg itself is thought to be peculiarly nourishing; however, Galen, in mentioning this, asserts that the eggs of hens and pheasants are good to be eaten; those of geese and ostriches are the worst of all.

CHAP. II.

THE EMU.

hatching of its young. The male compels twenty or thirty of the females to lay their eggs in one nest; he then, when they have done laying, chases them away, and places himself upon the eggs; however, he takes the singular precaution Or this bird, which many call the American of laying two of the number aside, which he does Ostrich, but little is certainly known. It is an not sit upon. When the young ones come forth, inhabitant of the New Continent; and the tra- these two eggs are addled; which the male havvellers who have mentioned it, seem to have been ing foreseen, breaks one, and then the other, more solicitous in proving its affinity to the upon which multitudes of flies are found to setostrich, than in describing those peculiarities tle; and these supply the young brood with a which distinguish it from all others of the fea-sufficiency of provision, till they are able to shift thered creation. for themselves.

It is chiefly found in Guiana, along the banks of the Oroonoko, in the inland provinces of Brazil and Chili, and the vast forests that border on the mouth of the river Plata. Many other parts of South America were known to have them; but as men multiplied, these large and timorous birds either fell beneath their superior power, or fled from their vicinity.

On the other hand, Wafer asserts, that he has seen great quantities of this animal's eggs on the desert shores, north of the river Plata; where they were buried in the sand, in order to be hatched by the heat of the climate. Both this as well as the preceding account may be doubted; and it is more probable that it was the crocodile's eggs which Wafer had seen, which are undoubtedly hatched in that manner.

When the young ones are hatched, they are familiar, and follow the first person they meet. I have been followed myself, says Wafer, by many of these young ostriches; which, at first, are extremely harmless and simple; but as they grow older, they become more cunning and distrustful; and run so swift, that a greyhound can scarcely overtake them. Their flesh, in general, is good to be eaten; especially if they be young. It would be no difficult matter to rear up flocks of these animals tame, particularly as they are naturally so familiar: and they might be found to answer domestic purposes, like the hen or the turkey. Their maintenance could not be expensive, if, as Narborough says, they live entirely upon grass.

The Emu, though not so large as the ostrich, is only second to it in magnitude. It is by much the largest bird in the new continent; and is generally found to be six feet high, measuring from its head to the ground. Its legs are three feet long; and its thigh is near as thick as that of a man. The toes differ from those of the ostrich; as there are three in the American bird, and but two in the former. Its neck is long, its head small, and the bill flatted, like that of the ostrich; but in all other respects it more resemnbles the cassowary, a large bird to be described hereafter. The form of the body appears round; the wings are short, and entirely unfitted for flying, and it wants a tail. It is covered from the back and rump with long feathers, which fall backward, and cover the anus; these feathers are gray upon the back, and white on the belly. It goes very swiftly, and seems assisted in its motion by a kind of tubercle behind, like a heel, upon which, on plain ground, it treads very securely; in its course it uses a very odd kind of action, lifting up one wing, which it keeps elevated for a time; till letting it drop, it lifts up the other. What the bird's intention may be in thus keeping only one wing up, is not easy to discover; whether it makes use of this as a sail to catch the wind, or whether as a rudder to turn its course, in order to avoid the arrows of the In-largest and the heaviest of the feathered species. dians, yet remains to be ascertained: however The cassowary, though not so large as the forthis be, the emu runs with such swiftness, that mer, yet appears more bulky to the eye; its body the fleetest dogs are thrown out in the pursuit. being nearly equal, and its neck and legs much One of them, finding itself surrounded by the thicker and stronger in proportion; this conforhunters, darted among the dogs with such fury,mation gives it an air of strength and force, which that they made way to avoid its rage; and it escaped, by its amazing velocity, in safety to the mountains.

CHAP. III.

THE CASSOWARY.

THE Cassowary is a bird which was first brought into Europe by the Dutch, from Java, in the East Indies, in which part of the world it is only to be found. Next to the preceding, it is the

the fierceness and singularity of its countenance conspire to render formidable. It is five feet and a half long, from the point of the bill to the exAs this bird is but little known, so travellers tremity of the claws. The legs are two feet and have given a loose to their imaginations in de-a half high, from the belly to the end of the scribing some of its actions, which they were claws. The head and neck together are a foot conscious could not be easily contradicted. This animal, says Nierenberg, is very peculiar in

1 This is also called the Emu.-ED.