THE MIGRATIONS OF OTHER BIRDS 215 



the young to their own devices. For several weeks 

 these immature birds wander about, without food, 

 living on the fat stored over the body during the 

 previous period of care, and finally teach themselves 

 to fly by extending their growing wings in the steady 

 sweep of the trade winds. When strong on the wing, 

 they too leave the vicinity, so that after June it is 

 rare to see an albatross near the breeding station. 

 All are wandering at sea far from any land. Whether 

 their migration is regular or nomadic we may only 

 conjecture. Their return is regular, and we may 

 marvel at the means by which they are able to find 

 again the isolated islands on which they breed. 

 Their migration is similar in its performance to 

 that of land birds, except that the birds may possibly 

 not move in any stated direction; but it is performed 

 under wholly different conditions. The wanderings 

 of the Laysan albatross are unknown, but the sooty 

 albatross is seen following ships throughout much of 

 the North Pacific, north to the Gulf of Alaska and 

 the Aleutian Islands. It appears that a certain 

 number do not nest each year, since some of the 

 birds are found in small numbers in these distant 

 waters when the majority of the species is in breed- 

 ing quarters. 



We are accustomed to think of autumn migration 

 in the northern hemisphere as always towards the 

 south, except for post-breeding wandering in late 



