THE NATURALIST.

Otago Witness, Issue 2812, 5 February 1908, Page 76

THE NATURALIST.

Defect in Ostrich Feathers.

The value- of ostrich feathers on Cape farms is sometimes depreciated owing to. what look Jike cuts across the webs of the feathers. It"~has been suggested that this defect is due either to the birds being of an inferior strain or to improper feeding. To test this opinion experiments have been underi&ken, the results of which are reported in the Cape of Good Hope Agricultural Journal. In the first case three cock chicks were selected from & mixed hatching when two or three weeks old, and reared and fel under similar conditions, without further special treatment. At the first clipping it was .noticed that the feathers of the three chicks differed markedly in quality, those of one being far superior to those of either of the other two, which aJso differed from one another. This is taken to prove the existence of distinct strains. Later on, after the second clipping, it was found that the feathers of the best bird were with the exception of three or four, practicail; free defect, while those of the other two were more or less heavily scorad. This suggests that the defects in ■Question are constitutional, or, at all events, to such an extent that they cannot be eradicated by fesding. Other experiments were niade on old birds to test the effect of expo£ure. to cold on the feathers. During a short spell of exceptionally cold weathei in " May an adult cock ar.d hen were left exposed, while three cocks and two chicks were only let out from -shelter for a few hours in the middle of the day, and were artificially fed. Subsequent examination showed that the plumes of the projected cocks showed no marks of defect in the region of new growth such as were seen in those of the exposed cock. These experiments were supposed to demonstrate the probable influence of inclement weather upon the growing feathers of ostriches, and suggested that, under such conditions, shelter should bo provided for the birds. The experimenters do not seem to have been aware that such defects in feather are very well known in the case of trained hawks, and are termed by falconers "hunger traces," from the fact that they arise from insufficient feeding. No experienced falconer would purchase a hawk from a dealer without first examining the flight feathers to see whether the bird has been starved, or mot. for when such defects are visible there is always" a tendency to breakage of the feathers at the point of injury. It is evident that cold weather ""has nothing to do wit'i it. otherwise wild birds would b© similarly affected,- which is never the ease.