LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAlSr PETRELS AND PELICANS. 13 



sides results in nuikinj^- the nest hif^luT and also provides a shallow ditch 

 all around it, which certainly makes it drier when there is rain. 



Eggs. — The Laysan albatross lays but one eg^r which is laid about 

 the middle of November. Mr. Walter Rothschild (1893) has de- 

 scribed his series of eggs as follows : 



I have received a series of eijiht e^ss of D. Unmuiahilia, which vary vei*y 

 much both in shape and coloration. The two extremes are as follows : 



1. Very elongate ; length, 111.5 mm. ; width, 62.5 mm. ; ground color, dirty 

 white, marked with numerous large and small blotches of a brownish-maroon 

 color, which are principally massed at the two ends, though there are a few 

 in the central zone. 



2. Very thick and short; length. 100 mm.; width, 70 mm.; color, uniform 

 brownish buff without any markings whatever. 



The majority of specimens before me are dirty white with irregular patches 

 and spots of brownish-maroon at the larger end. 



The measurements of 39 eggs, in various collections, average 109.2 

 by 69.4 millimeters; the eggs showing the four extremes measure 116 

 by 72, 109.6 by 75, and 99 by 62 millimeters. 



Young. — Doctor Richards (1909) says: 



Incubation lasts about six weeks, both birds taking turns on the- nest so 

 that the egg is constantly covered. The young are fed, in the well-known 

 manner, by regurgitation from the throat of the parent, remaining about the 

 islands until the following June or July, so that the entire reproductive period 

 occupies about one-half of the year. 



Doctor Fisher (1906) devotes considerable space to the behavior 

 of the young and I quote from his remarks, as follows : 



The shallow, basin-shaped hollow in which the egg is deposited, is the 

 young albatross's home and it usually does not stray far. But as the nest- 

 lings grow stronger so that they can walk a little, albeit very awkwardly, 

 they wander sometimes a rod from the home spot and engage in mild squabbles 

 with youthful neighbors. The same feeling of growing strength leads them 

 about this time to slowly fan their wings back and forth from time to time. 

 During a light shower I saw a considerable colony of young birds do this 

 together, after the manner of cormorants drying their wings. When the 

 breeze is rather brisk they usually all face it. Their spare time is taken up 

 with idly dozing in the hot sun, preening their feathers or examining their 

 surroundings. Several times I observed young birds collect dried grass and 

 similar material, which happened to be within reach, and carefully cover the 

 hollow in which they were sitting. Sometimes their spirit of inquiry leads 

 them into trouble. We found a young bird, still lively, buried to its neck 

 in a collapsed petrel burrow. It objected sti'enuously to being disinterred, 

 but appeared little the worse for its adventure. 



These amusing creatures sit on their heels with the whole length of the 

 tarsus on the ground or tilted slightly in the air, as shown in the illustration. 

 Their spare time is spent in gazing stupidly around, but if their reverie is at 

 all disturbed by one passing too near they fly into an apparent rage, lean 

 forward, and snap their beaks viciously, or sway their uncouth bodies from 

 side to side in a frantic attempt to maintain a balance. Sometimes they 

 make a rush, waddling along and darting their heads back and forth to the 



