_The Ostrich._—_Ennaam_ is the name given by the Western Arabs to the ostrich; it is found on the confines of Sahara, in every part from Wedinoon on the western ocean as far as Senaar: those which are taken about Wedinoon and Cape Bojador are the largest in the world, and have the finest plumage; the feathers of the male bird are the best, being thicker and more tufted than those of the female: the black feathers are taken from the tail; the fine long white plumes used by our females of fashion are from the fore part of the wings: the smaller feathers of the wing are also sometimes black. I have seen ostriches from Cape Bojador eight feet high from the foot to the beak, when the neck was erect, which is the natural position. The ostrich appears to be a stupid bird, and indifferent to every thing; taking no notice of persons, except they have metal buttons on their clothes, at which they will eagerly snap; it is not however to be credited that they digest iron or any other metal, although pieces of such are often found in their stomachs, when cut up by the hunters. The ostrich forms the intermediate gradation between the bird and the beast, for it neither simply flies nor runs, but rather does both, never rising however from the ground, but is assisted considerably by its wings, in its progress through the desert, running over many hundred miles of ground in a short time. They are sometimes seen in Sahara by the Akkabahs of Soudan, in great numbers, appearing at a distance, at twilight, like a host of plundering Arabs. The ostrich lays several eggs, of the size of an African citron, or a six-and-thirty pound shot, white, and of an oval form, weighing from eight to ten pounds; after laying these eggs, the bird goes away, forgetting or forsaking them, and if some other ostrich discover them, she hatches them, as if they were her own, forgetting probably whether they are or are not; so deficient is the recollection of this bird. In addition to their usual food, they swallow stones, gravel, sand, and metals; it is not ascertained whether they drink or not.