“That is all true,” returned her uncle, “but these fellows still wear their feathers, and are very much alive.”

“Oh, I know now,” laughed the little girl.  “You mean the ostrich man has named some of his birds after those famous men.”  They were now on the northern side of Midway Plaisance, and presently reached the enclosure where the ostriches were.  There were twenty-three, full-grown, all from California.  The sight was an interesting one to both the grown people and the children, and all listened attentively to the remarks of the exhibitor, delivered in solemn tones, in regard to the habits of the birds.  He spoke of the male bird as most kind and self-forgetful in his treatment of his mate, or mates, saying it was he who built the nest and obtained the food; also that he would sit on the eggs in the nest for sixteen hours at a stretch, while the mother did the same for only eight hours.  He had other things also to tell of the domineering of the female over the male, which caused some merriment among the ladies and girls of our party; to the gentlemen also, though they pretended to highly disapprove.  But all laughed together over the ridiculous movements of the flock in passing from one side of the grounds to another.

“What do they eat, papa?” asked Ned.

“Corn, grasses, seeds of various kinds,” replied his father.  “They swallow large stones too, as smaller birds swallow sand to help grind up the food in the gizzard, and, indeed, ostriches have been known to swallow bits of iron, shoes, copper coins, glass, bricks, and other things such as you would think no living creature would want to eat.”

“They look very big and strong, papa,” remarked the little boy, gazing at them with great interest.

“Yes; they are so strong that one can easily carry two men on his back.”

“Is that what they are good for, papa?”

“That is one thing; and their feathers are very valuable.  For that reason ostrich farms have been established for the raising of the birds, and have proved very profitable.”

“Don’t folks eat ostriches, papa?” asked Elsie.

“Sometimes a young one; and their eggs are eaten too.  They are so large that each one is about equal to two dozen ordinary hen’s eggs; to cook one they usually set it up on end over a fire, and having first broken a hole in the top, they stir it with a forked stick while it is cooking.  The shells are very thick and strong and the Africans use them for water vessels.”

“Do they have nests to lay their eggs in, like our chickens?” asked Ned.

“They do not take the pains in building a nest that most other birds do,” replied his father, “but merely scoop a hole in the sand.  One male usually appropriates to himself from two to seven females and each hen lays ten eggs—­so it is supposed—­all in the same nest, and each egg is stood up on end.”

“It must take a big, big nest to hold them; such great big eggs as you say they are, papa!”