210 POPULAR SCRIPTURE ZOOLOGY.

of her young, as she is accused of being in the books of Job
and Lamentations: “She is hardened against her young
ones, as though they were not hers;” and again, “The
daughter of my people is become cruel like the ostriches in
the wilderness.”

In procuring the eggs, the natives are obliged to be very
careful in not touching with their hands those that are left,
as the parent birds would be sure to discover it, and would
not only desist from laying again in the same place, but
would break all the remaining eggs; these eggs weigh about
three pounds each, and are said to be a great delicacy. The
ostrich feeds on grass, grain, etc., and is very voracious ; it is
common in the deserts of Arabia, and frequent allusions are
made to it by Arabian poets.

“There are two names by which this bird is mentioned in
Scripture—‘ renonim,’ as in the present text (Job xxxix.),
and frequently by the poetical designation of ‘dath-hay-
yanah, ‘the daughter of screeching,’ which has usually been
rendered ‘owl’ in our version. This designation, doubtless,
arose from the doleful noises made by the female ostrich in
her native deserts, and which have been particularly noticed
by various travellers*.”

* Pictorial Bible.