CHAPTER TWELVE.
THE WINGLESS BIRDS.
Hans, on returning to the camp, gave an account of what he had seen.All were interested in the relation, but particularly the boys Klaas andJan, who were not over satisfied that they had not themselves beenwitnesses of the affair. Hans might very well have told them of it.They wouldn't have minded being waked up to see the ostriches,especially as they passed so near. It wasn't every day one could getsuch a view of these fine birds--they were so shy no one could get nearthem, and Hans might very well have come into camp and told them, orcalled them, Klaas and Jan, to the spot. Hans didn't care whether theyever saw any thing worth seeing--he didn't.
So grumbled Klaas and Jan, because Hans had not waked them out of theirsweet _siesta_, to see three ostriches stalking over the plain, and notdoing any thing in particular.
But boys are boys, and so long as they _are_ boys, they will feel awonderful interest in birds--especially when these birds stand nearlyten feet high, and weigh three hundred pounds, as ostriches do.
Had it been a buffalo, or a giraffe, or even an elephant, neither Klaasnor Jan would have so much cared. Beasts are all very well in theirway, and may interest full-grown hunters, like Hendrik and Groot Willem,but for "boy hunters," with light fowling-pieces and Number 5 shot,birds are the game--though their Number 5 shot would hardly have tickledan ostrich.
No matter for that. They wanted to see the great camel-bird. Hansought to have apprised them. It was "right mean" of him not to do so,--right mean, said Jan, and Klaas backed the opinion.
How long they might have grumbled, and given vent to their reproaches,can only be guessed at; but the conversation turning upon ostrichesassumed a very pleasing character; and Klaas and Jan, becoming deeplyinterested in it, soon got over their little "miff" with Hans--especially as it was he who was now interesting them. Upon the subjectof ostriches. Hans had read a good deal, and was well acquainted withthe character and habits of these most interesting birds.
Swartboy stood next in his knowledge of the ostrich, for Swartboy inearly life had been a "dweller of the desert,"--the home of the Bushmanas well as the great camel-bird. Swartboy was only too happy at theopportunity thus offered of showing off his knowledge, for the latewonderful performances of his Kaffir rival had quite thrown him into theshade.
So what with Hans's book-knowledge and Swartboy's practical experience,the young yagers became pretty well acquainted with the whole "history"of the bird.
"The ostrich," said Hans, "is an African bird, though also found in theadjacent countries of Asia. Several species of birds somewhat like it,belonging to South America, Australia and the islands of the IndianArchipelago, have been called `ostriches' in the language of travellers.I shall have a word about these presently.
"All over the African continent, as well as Arabia, Syria, and Persia,dwells the ostrich, wherever there are desert plains--for this bird ispeculiarly a denizen of the desert, and never makes its home in wooded,marshy, or even fertile districts.
"It has been known from the earliest times, and must have been morenumerous in the days of Heliogabalus than now, since that tyrant had thebrains of six hundred ostriches served up at a single feast!"
"Oh, the glutton!" exclaimed Jan.
"What a gourmand!" echoed Klaas.
"I should think after the feast he had more brains in his stomach thanin his head," quietly remarked Arend.
"No doubt of it," added Hendrik.
Hans continued:--
"The ancients knew the ostrich as the `camel-bird,' (_Struthiocamelus_). This name was given to it on account of its fanciedresemblance to the camel; and in its hoof-like two-toed feet, its longnaked thighs and neck, and the pad or cushion on its chest,corresponding to the callosity on the breast of the camel, it does beara resemblance to this animal. Like it, too, the ostrich is formed forthe desert. Aristotle and Pliny described the ostrich as half bird,half quadruped."
As soon as Hans had given the more scientific part of the naturalhistory of the ostrich, Swartboy's knowledge of the habits of the birdwas produced, and from both were collected the details that follow.
Ostriches are gregarious--flocks of _fifty_ may be seen upon the plains,peacefully associating with zebras, quaggas, wildebeests, bluewildebeests, and several other plain-frequenting antelopes.
The males are polygamous, and usually have from two to six wives. Theselay twelve to sixteen eggs each, in a nest which is only a hole scoopedout in the sand about six feet in diameter. Not more than half the eggsare deposited in the nest. The others lie scattered around, and arenever hatched.
Swartboy alleged that these were intended to feed the young when theycame out of the shell: but Hans dissented from this opinion. Thenaturalist believed that those scattered about were superfluous eggs,which were not deposited in the nest because one bird could not coverall that the whole family of hens would lay; and that once the "setting"was complete, the superfluous eggs were dropped about anywhere.
There is a good deal of probability in this conjecture of the youngnaturalist.
It is certain that the scattered eggs are those last laid, and that thebirds continue to drop them after the incubation has commenced, butwhether they form the food of the young is a disputed point. One birdcan cover from thirty to forty, placed as they usually are upon theirends, and Swartboy said that he had often found this number in a nest,but more frequently thirty was the "setting."
The male takes part in the incubation, sitting during the night; whenhis greater size and strength enable him the better to protect the eggsfrom cold. The "hens" relieve one another during the day, but when thesun is hot all leave the nest to itself, for hours at a time.
Hans stated, that in the more tropical regions the eggs are forsaken forlong spells, and the hot sand and _sun_ do the work of the parent birds;and that on this account the period of incubation is not fixed, butranges from thirty to forty days.
The young when hatched are well developed, and in a day or two become aslarge as guinea-hens, leaving the nest and running about in charge ofthe parent birds.
At this period the old ones are very careful of their offspring. Whenan enemy approaches, the hen that has charge of the flock will endeavourto attract the intruder upon herself, making a feint of being wounded,spreading and drooping her wings, and tumbling from side to side alongthe ground, while the cock draws off the chicks in an oppositedirection! Partridges, wild ducks, and many other birds, do the same.
The eggs of the ostrich are of a dull white colour. They are not all ofequal size, nor are the birds either. A medium-sized ostrich-egg is sixinches long, and weighs about three pounds. It is excellent eating whenbroiled among hot cinders, and is a meal for a man,--some say two, somethree, while others allege that it is not enough for one. But "a mealfor a man" is a very uncertain standard, and depends a good deal on thecapacity of the man's stomach and the state of his appetite. A betterstandard is found in the estimate that one ostrich-egg is equal inquantity to twenty-four of the common domestic fowl.
The shells of the ostrich-eggs are very strong, and used by the Bushmenand other natives of the desert as water-vessels--the only vessels thatsome of them have.
A full-grown cock ostrich stands over nine feet in height, and weighsthree hundred pounds. The legs of such a bird are immensely thick andmuscular, and the thigh-joint equals in size the largest leg of mutton.
The ostrich is thought to be the swiftest runner in creation, but thereare doubts about this. Certain it is that it cannot be overtaken by ahorse in a fair tail-on-end chase; but the bird makes "doubles" inrunning, and by observing these, the mounted hunter sometimes gets nearit by making a cut upon it, and delivers his fire as it passes. To runan ostrich down, however, is considered an impossibility, even by theArab on his fleet steed. Its bottom is equal to its speed, as it cankeep up the pace for hours together.
The muscular strength of its great long legs is well adapted for runningfast and far; and while on
the run, its hoofs make a clatter like thoseof a trotting horse, while large stones are flung violently to the rear!When at full speed it spreads its white wing-plumes, raising them overits back, but this is only done to balance it, as it could not fly asingle yard.
Its principal weapon of defence is the leg with its hoof-like foot.With this it can kick like a mule, and the blow will break a man's leg,or send the breath out of his body, as would the kick of a horse!
But the principal security of the ostrich lies in its splendid power ofvision, combined with its peculiar habitat. It is always on the nakedplain, with nothing to interrupt the view, and its keen eye enables itto perceive an enemy long before the latter can get near enough to do itan injury. So sharp is its sight, it can see even farther than it canbe seen, large as it is!
A most difficult matter it is to get within shooting distance of thesewary birds. Sometimes a shot is obtained by lying in wait for them atvleys, or springs, where they come to drink. Many people deny that theyever drink, as they are met with at great distances from water; but itshould be remembered that what may appear a great distance to a tiredtraveller may be nothing to a fleet ostrich, who can fling the milesbehind like a race-horse.
Others have observed the ostrich come to drink at a particular placeonce every day; and it is well known that in captivity they swallowlarge quantities of water. After drinking they do not run so well, andhunters take advantage of this and run them down after leaving the pool.
There are hunters residing upon the desert karoos, who hunt the ostrichas a profession. The feathers are of considerable value, as well as theskin, which is tough and strong, and tans into a fine species ofleather, out of which jackets and other garments are made. A skinwithout the feathers is worth about one pound sterling; and the longwhite plumes of the wings and tail,--of which there are five-and-forty(the finest are from the wings,)--are often sold for a shilling apieceon the spot.
Groot Willem observed that the ostrich may be easily domesticated, andhe had frequently seen tame ones about the kraals of the frontier boors.They are a useless pet, however; and, although quite harmless as far asman is concerned, they become troublesome in the farm-yard, where theytrample the poultry to death, and sometimes gobble up chicks and youngducks, not from any carnivorous propensity, but on account of theirextreme voracity: an old rag would be swallowed in the same way.
The proper food of the ostrich is tops of shrubby plants, with grain andseeds, though they "bolt" many odd and indigestible substances. Theyare fond of salt, like most wild animals, and are often seen in largeflocks around the salt-pans, or "salines," many of which exist upon thedesert plains of Africa.
The flesh of the young ostrich is very palatable, but that of an oldbird is rather tough and rank. Their eggs, however, are esteemed adelicacy, though some think them heavy.
The voice of the ostrich under ordinary circumstances is a deep sonorouschuckle, though at times it gives out a roar resembling that of thelion. When wounded or brought to bay, it hisses like an enraged gander.
So much for the ostrich; and now Hans proceeded, as he had promised, tosay a word or two about its relatives.
The "rhea" is its South American representative, but it has been latelydiscovered that there are two distinct species in South America, the"nandu," (_Rhea Americana_), and the "petise," or Darwin's rhea, (_RheaDarwinii_). They resemble each other in form, colour, and generalhabits, but differ in size and geographical range. The nandu is thelarger, and dwells upon the wide plains of La Plata, whereas the petiseis confined to the southern part of Patagonia.
The nandu resembles the African bird in form, and its dingy brown colouris not far from that of the hen ostrich. Its size, however, is muchless, being only five feet in height. The plumes of its wings are lessbeautiful and valuable than those of its African cousin, though they arealso a marketable article, being used for fly-brushes and otherhousehold implements.
The habits of the rhea show a great similarity to those of the_Struthio_, and it is quite a folly to make separate genera of them.
The rhea is gregarious, polygamous, scoops a slovenly nest in theground, hatches from twenty to thirty eggs, scatters many others around,runs swiftly when pursued, hisses and kicks violently when assailed, andis shy and wary. All these are habits of the ostrich. The rhea,however, has some peculiarities. It feeds upon small fish cast up onthe mud banks of rivers, and on roots and grass. It also takes freelyto the water, and can cross rapid streams by swimming. The gauchos huntit with both _lazo_ and _bolas_.
Darwin's rhea is less in size, but very similar in colour, form, andhabits. It also swims well, and frequents plains near the coast. It isbeyond doubt a very closely allied species to _Rhea Americana_, but abird of a colder habitat.
The nandu is not found in North America, nor any species of bird alliedto the ostrich. In this respect Nature has neglected the vast desertplains of prairie-land.
Even in South America the range of the rhea is limited, and does notextend to the equator, though it comes much farther within the tropicsthan is generally imagined. It has lately been seen on the savannahs ofthe Madeira River, far to the north of the La Plata plains.
Another cousin of the ostrich is the "emeu," (_Dromanis NovaeHollandiae_). I give the clumsy title of the closet-naturalists, thoughthere is no reason in the world why this bird should be separated fromthe genus of either ostrich or rhea, except to confuse the student ofnatural history.
In form and habits it resembles both, and in colour it is quite like therhea. It is, however, a much taller bird--standing seven feet--and afull-grown male approaches the standard of a hen ostrich.
It has all the characteristics of the ostrich--is gregarious,polygamous, nestles on the ground, shy, wary, runs swiftly, swims well,kicks so as to kill a dog or break the leg of a man, utters an odddrumming note, and lays eggs nearly as large as those of the ostrich,but of deep green colour. The eggs of the rhea are of a bluish cast.
It is supposed that, like the rhea, there are two species of emeu--another and smaller one having been reported as existing in the northernparts of the great island of Australia.
In the peninsula of Malacca and the islands of the Asiatic Archipelago,the ostrich has a representative that differs from it more than eitherrhea or emeu. This is the cassowary, (_Cassuarius cassoar_). Its bodyis covered with a thick coat of feathers of a deep black colour, and sodisposed as to present a hairy appearance, while its head and neck arenaked, the skin of these parts being of the loveliest blue-purple andscarlet blended together.
The cassowary differs from the ostriches in many respects. It is not abird of the desert, but dwells in fertile districts and feeds upon softsucculent herbage. It resembles the ostriches, however, in most of itshabits. Like them it defends itself by kicking, deposits its eggs onthe ground, and leaves them to be hatched by the sun; is bold whenassailed, is fleet and strong, and altogether may be regarded as one ofthe most interesting of the tribe, or of birds in general.
Hans mentioned the "apteryx," or kiwi-kiwi, only to say that there weretwo species of it very much alike, both natives of New Zealand, bothnocturnal and burrowing in their habits; and Hans added that he did notregard them as belonging to the ostrich family at all, any more than the"auks" or "penguins." Thus ended the talk about the wingless birds.