دانستنی های علمی
علم و دانشدانستنی های علمی
علم و دانشht, whilbt tho others hal'ely average
ht, whilbt tho others hal'ely average
and a quarter pound:"فروشگاه اینترنتی"
By the head and neck being bare of feathers :
By the beauty of its plumage, the only other
memb('r of the family producing feathers of
any marketable value being the RheD
.
It is indigcnous to Dnd inhabits the "hole continent of
Afl·ica and Arabia, but in the latter it is now nearly
extinct
.
Tho IUlea, or South American Ostl'ich, has three
toes and no tail, and produces feathers somewhat similar
to the chicken feathers of the Ostrich proper. They are
known in tho trade as Ie vantour II or vulture feathers
,
being worth from 4s. to 30s. a pound. A curious case
of 8windling oame to light last l"ear in Port Elizabeth
,
where a man, largcly engaged in the fcather tl'ade, imported
large quantities of these feathers, and mixing
them up with the inferior kinds of white and grey
Ost!'ich feathers, sold them again as Ostrich feathers
at an enormous profit, completely dereiving the colonial
buyers, the matter not being disco'"ered till the
feathers got into the hands of the l.ondon manufacturers
.
The Rhea inhabits, in vast numbers, that part of
South America which lies south of the Equator and east
of the Andes mountains, extending down to the Straits
Digitised by the University of Pretoria, Library Services
THE OSTRICH (BTRUTHIO CA.MELUBI
.
Digitised by the University of Pretoria, Library Services
8
OSTRICH-FARMING IN SOUTH AFRICA
.
of Magellan, thus reaching to 18 degrees nearer the
Pole than the Ostrich. It is being rapidly destroyed
·
for the sake of its feathers, which are being exported in
enormous quantities, principally to North America and
France. The egg ofthe Rhea, like the Ostrich, is creamcoloured
when fresh laid, gradually turning quite white
.
THE EMU
inhabits the whole of Australia, and Australia only
.
It has three toes, is of a brown colour, the feathers being
of a crisp, hairy nature, and of no commercial value
.
Its eggs are very handsome, being of a deep bllle colour
,
and much indented. It has all the habits of the
Ostrich. The plumage of the two sexes is of the same
colour. It is fast being destroyed, as the country gets
filled up with sheep
.
THE CASSOWAnY
is found sparsely in Northern Australia, some parts
of the Malay Archipelago, and in the South Pacific(روغن شترمرغ). It
is distinguished from the other members of the Ostrich
family by a large llOrny excrescence on its head, and
most ot the species, of which there are several, have one
or two wattles suspended from the neck. It stands, like
the Emu, ahout five feet high, is of a very dark brown
Digitised by the University of Pretoria, Library Services
THE OSTRICH. 9
colour, has hairy feathers of no value, is quite wingless
,
and lays a light-greenish egg
.
The whole tribe are noted for their excessive shYness
and timidity, without which in the struggle for existence
in the \\·orld they would ere this have ceased to exist
,
from being depriv.ed "of the powers of :flight
.
We have taken this glance at the other members of
tile family, as it i~ essential that the Ostrich-farmer
should know tlms much of them; but we shall not have
agoain to refer to them, as our remarks will be entirely
on the African Ostrich (Strutl~io cameluB), so called from
the resemblance of its foot to that of the camel. We
will now take a glance at its ~natomy
.
The reader need not fear a lot of dry, hard, scientific
names that would convey no information to him. My
intention is to convey such a general knowledge of the
frame of the bird the Ostrich-farmer has to deal with
,
as shall assist him to make pos~mortems of birds that
may die, and to convey in an intelligent manner to other
farmers anything peouliar he may notice
.
THE LEG
.
Most farmers call the joints by their wrong names
.
The Ostrich walks on its toes; what is commonly called
the ankle-joint is the second toe-joint of man. The socalled
knee-joint corresponds with the ankle-joint, and
Digitised by the University of Pretoria, Library Services
OSTRICH-FARMING IN SOUTH AFRICA
.
the so-called thigh, where we brand, with the calf; the
proper thigh being the short thick bone above this
.
This is the usual formation of all swift-footed animals
,
the part from what most farmers call the knee down
..
wards being the foot, the heel being exceedingly long
.
It is very advisable that farmers should remember this
,
80
that in describing to each other malformation or
injuries, there should be no confusion i so we have
"روغن شترمرغ"
1st. The first toe-joint j
2nd. The second toe-joint j
3rd. The ankle-joint j
4th. The knee-joint, above the place we brand j
5th. The thigh-joint
.
The leg is easily broken, either with a blow or when
they .are dancing,' when there is nothing for it but to
kill them. They are also subject to spraining the anklejoint
and instep, for which the best remedy is cold water
bathing and arnica lotion. We have had them put the
a~kle-joint completely out; if seen to at once this can
be easily pulled in, and a few hours' cold bathing and
leaving them in a dark stable, so that they do not use
the leg, will put them all right in a. couple of days
.
They will sometimes get tumours on the leg; theBe
are easily opened and removed, when the place should
be well cauterised. Young birds will sometimes get a
staggering gait, knocking the legs together as they
Digitised by the University of Pretoria, Library Services
THE OSTRICH.
walk; this is the after-effect of the birds having eaten
some poison, and although they may live for a long
time they will gradually get worse and die.
and a quarter pound:"فروشگاه اینترنتی"
By the head and neck being bare of feathers :
By the beauty of its plumage, the only other
memb('r of the family producing feathers of
any marketable value being the RheD
.
It is indigcnous to Dnd inhabits the "hole continent of
Afl·ica and Arabia, but in the latter it is now nearly
extinct
.
Tho IUlea, or South American Ostl'ich, has three
toes and no tail, and produces feathers somewhat similar
to the chicken feathers of the Ostrich proper. They are
known in tho trade as Ie vantour II or vulture feathers
,
being worth from 4s. to 30s. a pound. A curious case
of 8windling oame to light last l"ear in Port Elizabeth
,
where a man, largcly engaged in the fcather tl'ade, imported
large quantities of these feathers, and mixing
them up with the inferior kinds of white and grey
Ost!'ich feathers, sold them again as Ostrich feathers
at an enormous profit, completely dereiving the colonial
buyers, the matter not being disco'"ered till the
feathers got into the hands of the l.ondon manufacturers
.
The Rhea inhabits, in vast numbers, that part of
South America which lies south of the Equator and east
of the Andes mountains, extending down to the Straits
Digitised by the University of Pretoria, Library Services
THE OSTRICH (BTRUTHIO CA.MELUBI
.
Digitised by the University of Pretoria, Library Services
8
OSTRICH-FARMING IN SOUTH AFRICA
.
of Magellan, thus reaching to 18 degrees nearer the
Pole than the Ostrich. It is being rapidly destroyed
·
for the sake of its feathers, which are being exported in
enormous quantities, principally to North America and
France. The egg ofthe Rhea, like the Ostrich, is creamcoloured
when fresh laid, gradually turning quite white
.
THE EMU
inhabits the whole of Australia, and Australia only
.
It has three toes, is of a brown colour, the feathers being
of a crisp, hairy nature, and of no commercial value
.
Its eggs are very handsome, being of a deep bllle colour
,
and much indented. It has all the habits of the
Ostrich. The plumage of the two sexes is of the same
colour. It is fast being destroyed, as the country gets
filled up with sheep
.
THE CASSOWAnY
is found sparsely in Northern Australia, some parts
of the Malay Archipelago, and in the South Pacific(روغن شترمرغ). It
is distinguished from the other members of the Ostrich
family by a large llOrny excrescence on its head, and
most ot the species, of which there are several, have one
or two wattles suspended from the neck. It stands, like
the Emu, ahout five feet high, is of a very dark brown
Digitised by the University of Pretoria, Library Services
THE OSTRICH. 9
colour, has hairy feathers of no value, is quite wingless
,
and lays a light-greenish egg
.
The whole tribe are noted for their excessive shYness
and timidity, without which in the struggle for existence
in the \\·orld they would ere this have ceased to exist
,
from being depriv.ed "of the powers of :flight
.
We have taken this glance at the other members of
tile family, as it i~ essential that the Ostrich-farmer
should know tlms much of them; but we shall not have
agoain to refer to them, as our remarks will be entirely
on the African Ostrich (Strutl~io cameluB), so called from
the resemblance of its foot to that of the camel. We
will now take a glance at its ~natomy
.
The reader need not fear a lot of dry, hard, scientific
names that would convey no information to him. My
intention is to convey such a general knowledge of the
frame of the bird the Ostrich-farmer has to deal with
,
as shall assist him to make pos~mortems of birds that
may die, and to convey in an intelligent manner to other
farmers anything peouliar he may notice
.
THE LEG
.
Most farmers call the joints by their wrong names
.
The Ostrich walks on its toes; what is commonly called
the ankle-joint is the second toe-joint of man. The socalled
knee-joint corresponds with the ankle-joint, and
Digitised by the University of Pretoria, Library Services
OSTRICH-FARMING IN SOUTH AFRICA
.
the so-called thigh, where we brand, with the calf; the
proper thigh being the short thick bone above this
.
This is the usual formation of all swift-footed animals
,
the part from what most farmers call the knee down
..
wards being the foot, the heel being exceedingly long
.
It is very advisable that farmers should remember this
,
80
that in describing to each other malformation or
injuries, there should be no confusion i so we have
"روغن شترمرغ"
1st. The first toe-joint j
2nd. The second toe-joint j
3rd. The ankle-joint j
4th. The knee-joint, above the place we brand j
5th. The thigh-joint
.
The leg is easily broken, either with a blow or when
they .are dancing,' when there is nothing for it but to
kill them. They are also subject to spraining the anklejoint
and instep, for which the best remedy is cold water
bathing and arnica lotion. We have had them put the
a~kle-joint completely out; if seen to at once this can
be easily pulled in, and a few hours' cold bathing and
leaving them in a dark stable, so that they do not use
the leg, will put them all right in a. couple of days
.
They will sometimes get tumours on the leg; theBe
are easily opened and removed, when the place should
be well cauterised. Young birds will sometimes get a
staggering gait, knocking the legs together as they
Digitised by the University of Pretoria, Library Services
THE OSTRICH.
walk; this is the after-effect of the birds having eaten
some poison, and although they may live for a long
time they will gradually get worse and die.