130 



A NATURALIST ON THE "CHALLENGER 



» 



The Mollymauk is an albatross about the size of a goose, 

 head, throat, and under part pure white, the wings grey, and 

 the bill black with a yellow streak on the top and with a bright 

 yellow edge to the gape, which extends right back under the eye. 

 The yellow shows out conspicuously on the side of the head. It 

 is not thus shown in Gould's coloured figures. The bird is 

 extremely handsome. They take up their abode in separate pairs 

 anywhere about in the rookery, or under the trees, where there 

 are no penguins, winch latter situation they seem to prefer. 



They make a cylindrical nest of tufts of grass, clay, and 

 sedge, which stands up from the ground. The nest is neat and 

 round. There is a shallow concavity on the top for the bird to 

 sit on, and the edge overhangs somewhat, the old bird under- 

 mining it, as the Germans said, during incubation, by pecking 

 away the turf of which it is made. 



I measured one nest, which was 14 inches in diameter and 



10 inches in height. The 

 nests when deserted and 

 grass-grown make most 

 convenient seats. The 

 birds lay a single egg, 

 about the size of a goose's, 

 or somewhat larger, but 

 elongate, with one end 

 larger than the other, as 

 are all albatross eggs. 

 The egg is held in a sort of pouch whilst the bird is incu- 

 bating. The bird has thus to be driven right off the nest before 

 the egg is dropped out of the pouch and it can be ascertained 

 whether there is one there or no. 



The birds when approached sit quietly on their nests or 

 stand by them, and never attempt to fly; indeed they seem, 



schryver van dit Journael verkeerdelijck meent, maer om dai sy witte 

 hoofden hebben, want dat betekent Pinguijns in't Engelsch, gelijck in 

 Sir Thomas Candish voyage te sien is. " Begin ende Voortgang vande 

 vereenigde Neederlandtsche Geoctroyeer de Ost-Indische Compagnie." I te 

 deel. Long folio, Pub. 1646. " Schip.-vaerd der Hollanders nae de Straet 

 Magal janes," p. 28. 



NEST OF THE MOLLYMAUK. 



