Ostrich
Description
A flightless African bird, Struthio camelus, that is raised for its feathers and skin. Ostrich feathers grow up to 2 feet in length and are used for decorations on hats and for dusting brushes. Male ostrich feathers are black while the feathers from female birds are a soft gray or white. Ostrich leather was once popular for handbags. Extraction of the quills produced a pockmark texture that resembled small rosettes. Ostrich egg shells were used for small disk beads and pendants in ancient Egypt.
Synonyms and Related Terms
Struthio camelus; ostrich feather; ostrich leather; ostrich shells; strudsen (Dan.); afrikanische Strauß (Deut.); avestruz (Esp., Port.); autruche (Fr.); struzzo (It.); struisvogel (Ned.); struœ (Pol.); struts (Sven.)
Physical and Chemical Properties
Skin has quill holes appearing as tiny rosettes.
Additional Images
Woman's headdress
MFA# 52.1265
Ostrich Struthio camelus
Resources and Citations
- A.Lucas, J.R.Harris, Ancient Egyptian Materials and Industries, Edward Arnold Publishers Ltd., London, 4th edition, 1962
- Edward Reich, Carlton J. Siegler, Consumer Goods: How to Know and Use Them, American Book Company, New York City, 1937
- Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostrich (Accessed Nov. 9, 2005)
- G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 315
- Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1976
- Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997
- The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998