He first forms a saddlelike cushion, which he covers with feathers, to resemble the bird. He then stuffs the head and neck of an ostrich and introduces a small rod as a support. In preparing for the chase, he whitens his black legs with any suitable substance which he can find, and places the saddle on his shoulders. He then takes the bottom part of the neck in his right hand, while he holds his bow and poisoned arrows in the left.
Behind this mask he mimics the ostrich in the smallest details; picks at the verdure, turns his head from side to side as if to keep a sharp lookout for danger, flutters his feathers, walks, trots, till he gets within bowshot, shoots his arrow, and, if the flock runs in its alarm, runs too.
Should some wary old bird suspect the trick, the Bushman must get out of its way as the bird tries to approach him; for on no account does he wish it to catch the scent and thus break the spell. If an ostrich should get too near in its pursuit, the Bushman has but to run to the windward or throw aside his saddle, to avoid a blow from the bird's wing, powerful enough to lay him prostrate.
Although the ostrich has been called a stupid bird, yet it resorts to many cunning artifices to protect its young. Andersson and a companion, while traversing a sterile plain, caught sight of a male and female ostrich, with a brood of young ones about the size of barnyard fowls. They immediately gave chase, and the pursuit proved of no ordinary interest.
OSTRICHES.
Andersson writes of this experience: "The moment the parent birds became aware of our intention, they set off at full speed, the female leading the way, the young following in her wake, and the male, though at some little distance, bringing up the rear of the family party.
"It was very touching to observe the anxiety the old birds evinced for the safety of their progeny. Finding that we were quickly gaining upon them, the male at once slackened his pace, and diverged somewhat from his course; but, seeing that we were not to be diverted from our purpose, he again increased his speed, and with wings drooping, so as almost to touch the ground, he hovered round us, now in wide circles, and then decreasing the circumference, till he came almost within pistol shot, when he abruptly threw himself on the ground, and struggled desperately to regain his legs, as it appeared, like a bird that had been badly wounded.
"Having previously fired at him, I really thought he was disabled, and made quickly towards him. But this was only a ruse on his part; for on my nearer approach he slowly rose, and began to run in an opposite direction to that of the female, who by this time was considerably ahead with her charge. After an hour's severe chase, we secured nine of the brood, and, though it consisted of about double that number, we found it necessary to be contented with what we had."
The ostrich resorts to various stratagems to remove intruders from the vicinity of its crude nest, which is merely a cavity scooped out of the sand, usually about a yard in diameter, but only a few inches in depth. One writer happened to ride by the place where a hen ostrich was sitting upon her nest, when the bird sprang up and gave chase, in order to distract his attention from the nest of either young birds or eggs, he could not ascertain which; for every time he turned his horse towards her, she retreated a few paces, but as soon as he rode on again she would pursue him.