Keischek. — On the Wandering Albatross. 127 



Auckland Islands, and on the 25th January we anchored in 

 Carnley Harbour. Having ascertained from Captain Fair- 

 child that the vessel would not leave until the following even- 

 ing, I at once prepared for an expedition to the hills, on 

 which I was informed that albatrosses were then breeding ; 

 and at 4 o'clock in the morning the chief officer put me 

 ashore. The first creatm-es I met were several sea-lions 

 sleeping in the long grass, over which I almost fell. They 

 gave discontented gi'owls at being disturbed and driven from 

 their lair, sitting up on their haunches and gaziug at the 

 intruder with their large eyes, showing their white canine 

 teeth all the time. Moving onwards I had a dreadful 

 scramble through dense low scrub interspersed with holes and 

 swampy places, but at last I gained the hills above. My 

 exertions caused me to suffer greatly, being far from well 

 through overwork on the west coast of the South Island. 

 After climbing over liills for about tln-ee miles I came to a 

 slope where a colony of albatrosses had established a breeding- 

 place. The birds were scattered about among the tussock- 

 grass, sitting on their nests, and fi'om then- white plumage 

 could be easily distinguished from the vegetation at a great 

 distance. I found that their nests are always placed on 

 sloping gi'ound, and always on the most exposed side of the 

 hill. They are composed of earth and grass cemented to- 

 gether, and are built in the form of a cone. They are usually 

 about 2ft. in diameter and about 18in. high. Outside they 

 are surrounded by a shallow drain, intended to carry off the 

 surface-water. Within is placed a single egg. This is white, 

 with a few brown spots on the broad end, and measures about 

 5-5in. in length by 3-lin. broad. In most cases I found the 

 female on the nest, the male bird standing close to her, and 

 occasionally feeding her. I noticed that sometimes the male 

 relieved the female, but they never both leave the nest until 

 the young one is able to defend itself against the skua gull 

 (Lestris -parasiticus). This rapacious bird devours every egg 

 or nestling left unprotected. While taking the measurements 

 of the first nest I came to I laid down the egg beside me, 

 when a skua darted at it and destroyed it. They were so bold 

 that they frequently came close enough for me to hit them 

 with a stick. 



On my approaching an albatross's nest the old bird seldom 

 left it, but set up a croaking noise, clapping its mandibles 

 together and biting at the intruder. After turning it off and 

 taking away the egg, it returned and sat on the nest as before. 

 The eggs were quite fresh on the 25th January, and good for 

 eating when fried. There appears to be a difference in the 

 time of laying at the different islands, for at Campbell Island, 

 considerably to the south of the Auckland Islands, their eggs 



