Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 1 (1897).djvu/138

110 to allow each bird to feed. The Ostrich is a peculiar feeder; in the first place he walks rapidly on and on as he feeds, pecking a few leaves here and a few there in his stride, seldom halting unless he finds some plant particularly to his liking, and then only for a minute or two. In the next place, he is not an indiscriminate feeder, but carefully selects what he likes. This, as a rule, consists of plants, which, owing to the nature of the country, are few and far between. He does not, however, go systematically in search of them, but strides straight on, eating those in his way. Thus he travels long distances while feeding, and requires several consecutive hours if he is to obtain a satisfactory meal. The hen has about four or five hours to feed in the early morning before she goes on to the nest; and the cock has seven or eight consecutive hours through the day, after which the hen again has three or four hours in the evening, before she returns to sleep near the nest. Generally, the hen has a somewhat longer time to feed than the cock, but her time is broken into two portions, and she cannot wander so far in search of food as he can, and thus has not the same opportunity of getting on to new ground, where food may be more abundant, from not having been visited so often, for the Ostrich is a destructive feeder, eating out the plants he likes when he has not a sufficiently large run. In compensation, the hen occupies the nest only half as long as the cock, who, however, has his feeding time unbroken, and half his time on the nest at night. It will thus be seen that, not counting the hours at night when both are sleeping (the cock on the nest), the duties of incubation are very evenly divided.

The colour of each is admirably adapted to the time spent on the nest, and furnish interesting examples of protective colouration. It is scarcely possible to conceive a more effective disguise than the sober brownish grey of the hen for day sitting, and the black of the cock for night. When on the nest, the Ostrich lays its head, neck, and tail flat along the ground; its naked "thighs" are covered by the wings, the plumes lying close together on the earth almost hidden against the bird's body. Thus only the low, long-curved body projects above the surrounding level. The cock, at night, is, of course, almost