o^ 



50 THE TUBE-NOSED SWIMMERS — TUBINARES. 



bottom than at the top. This nest is made of earth and grass, the bird availing 

 itself of rainy weather, when the soil is soft, and a natural mortar provided. In 

 shaping it the earth is hammered down with the flat side of the beak ; and the rows 

 of nests are like a lot of round forts with, in wet weather, the surrounding fosse. 

 Both birds Avork at their nest ; and about the middle of January a solitary egg 

 is deposited, whidi requires nine weeks for incubation. During their stay at the 

 island one or the other of each pair goes to the sea in search of food each day. Not 

 more than two hundred pairs of this species visit the island. They leave at the 

 beginning of July, and are not seen again until November. I'he egg is good to eat ; 

 but Avhen cooked, the white portion becomes grisly and hard. The young bird is 

 eaten, and is regarded as excellent food. 



The following interesting account of this species, by Dr. J. H. Kidder, U. S. N., 

 is from that gentleman's "Contributions to the Natural History of Kerguelen 

 Island," 1 pp. 19-21 : — 



" None of these birds had shown themselves in the neighborhood of our camp 

 until Decend)er 17, when Mr. Train captured and brought in the specimen No. 181, 

 which he had carried more than two miles. It was found near an old nest, seem- 

 ingly about to rebuild it ; but no egg was found until December 30. On the 2d of 

 January the steam-launch of the ' Monongahela' carried me several miles down the 

 beach to the low strip which connects Prince of Wales Foreland with the mainland. 

 Here I saw very many Albatrosses nesting upon hillocks, built up some two feet, or 

 more, from the ground. The nests are composed mostly of grass, and, being of 

 different heights, seemed to have been used again, and added to, year after year. 

 I counted twenty-three birds in sight at one time, each perched upon its nest. Being 

 conspicuous by the whiteness of their plumage, and rarely very near together, they 

 rather remind one of the whitewashed cairns set up by surveyors. Driven from the 

 nests, and compelled to walk, they look not unlike overgroAvn geese. The distribu- 

 tion of their weight compels them to stretch out their necks horizontally, and to walk 

 with a widely-swaying gait. Two approached each other as I was watching them, 

 and went through with some very odd manoeuvres. One raised its head and spread 

 out its wings as if to embrace the other, which remained with wings folded. Both 

 then clattered their bills, and touched them together, first on one side and then on 

 the other. This manoeuvre was repeated several times. Phvehetriafidiginosa has the 

 same trick of touching bills with its mate, and clattering the mandibles, about pairing- 

 time ; but I have never seen them approach one another with outspread wings. All 

 of the nesting Albatrosses that I saw, without exception, showed a slight pinkish 

 discoloration of the neck, as if a blood-stain had been washed out, usually on the left 

 side, and extending downward from the region of the ear. 



" They are dull birds, making but little attempt to defend their eggs beyond loudly 

 clattering their bills. The sound thus produced is louder than would be expected, 

 owing to the resonance of the considerable cavity included by the mandibles. It is 

 very like the sound of a tin pan beaten with a stick. I knocked several off with my 

 heavy overcoat twisted np like a rope, and secured their eggs before they recovered 

 sufficiently to approach the nests. They climbed on to the empty nests again, how- 

 ever, and sat as contentedly, to all appearance, as before. I believe that they do not 

 lay a second time. Certainly, the nest robbed December 30 was still empty Janu- 

 ary 2, although occupied by the old bird ; and the whalers, who are very fond of the 

 eggs, assert that they never find a second one in a nest that has been once robbed. 



' Bulletin of the United States National Museum, No. 2, 1875. 



