Michael Riordan, age 10, of Beverly, Mass., . for his question:
Which is the biggest bird?
The biggest bird in the world may stand eight ,feet tall and tip the scales at 300 pounds. Birds must give up flying when they weigh more than 30 pounds, so this whopping bird is not a flier. But my, how he can run. His giant strides may be 15 feet long and he covers the ground at 40 miles an hour. This biggest of all birds is, of course, the ostrich of the sandy plains of Africa.
No, Mr. Ostrich does not bury his head in the sand when threatened with danger. There are at least three reasons why this story is not true. One, he would suffocate with his head in the sand. Two, he would make a splendid target for a hungry lion. Three, the ostrich is a very powerful animal and does not have t o hide from anybody. He can outrun most enemies. But when cornered he kicks like a mule arid gives a very good account of himself.
The emu of Australia and the rhea of South America are birds very much like the ostrich. They too are large, heavy flightless birds. But the ostrich of Africa is bigger than them all. Letts use our imaginations and spend a little time with him in his native land.
Chances are, we shall find him out on the wide sunny plains. He will not be alone. Grazing around him there are gaily striped zebras, big¬headed gnus and other strange animals of Africa. These animals are not here just to keep him company. Mr. Ostrich, seven or eight feet tall, has a splendid view of flat plains in all directions. What's more, he has keen eyesight and can spot a hungry lion far, far away. When this happens, Mr. 0. takes off in the opposite direction at 40 miles an hour. The gnus and the zebras take the hint and they too run off to safety.
When the right time comes, Mr. 0. digs a shallow pit in the sand with his feet. Mrs. Ostrich sits down to lay about 15 creamy colored eggs. Each egg weighs about three pounds. For six long weeks, Mamma sits on the eggs by day and Papa sits on them by night. At the end of this time there are rustlings, whisperings and finally faint chirrups in the nest. The youngsters are hatching out of their shells.
They are very sassy little birds, ready to look the world in the eye from the very first day. At first they do not have long silken plumage like their parents. Their down is arranged in stiff points and the babies of the biggest bird in the world look rather like porcupines.