338 THE VOYAGE OF THE " FRAM " 



largest albatross we got measured twelve feet between the 

 tips of its wings, and the smallest bird was of a land 

 species, not much bigger than a humming-bird. 



Talking of albatrosses, it is both amusing and interest- 

 ing to watch their elegant flight in a high wind. With- 

 out a movement of the wings they sail, now with, now 

 against, the wind ; at one instant they touch the surface 

 of the water with the points of their wings, at the next 

 they go straight into the air like an arrow. An 

 interesting and instructive study for an aviator. 



In a wind, when there is generally a number of them 

 hovering about the vessel, they will dash down after 

 anything that is thrown overboard; but of course it is 

 useless to try to catch them when the ship has so much 

 way. This must be done the next day, when the wind 

 is lighter. 



The birds are caught with an iron triangle, which 

 ought to be enclosed in wood, so that it will float on the 

 water. At the apex, which is very acute, the iron is 

 filed as sharp as a knife, and pork is hung on each of the 

 sides. When this is thrown in the wake of the ship, 

 the bird settles on the water to feed. The upper part of 

 its beak is hooked like that of a bird of prey, and as the 

 albatross opens its beak and bites at the pork, you give 

 a jerk, so that the triangle catches the upper part of the 

 beak by two small notches, and the bird is left hanging. 

 If the line should break, the whole thing simply falls off 

 and the bird is unliarmed. In hauling in, therefore, you 



