Around the Horn for Petrels 



247 



YOUNG WANDERING ALBATROSS 

 poor picture, which nevertheless shows the characteristic 

 scaling flight, low over the water 



which afterwards makes (om- 

 mon Itirds seen unnaturally 

 -mail. They all will occasion- 

 ally give their wings a few 

 flaps, but the sailing greatlx 

 predominates. I cannot do 

 better than quote from my 

 note-book. 



"September 20. A gray 

 day; the sun barely more 

 than burning through the 

 clouds in the middle of the 

 day. Not much wind, and 

 the sea very smooth, but for 

 the swell. Heard a cetacean blow close to the ship, and had a glimpse of his 

 rather light-colored, brownish black, and his small dorsal fin. Saw^ two or three 

 Mother Carey's Chickens settle and sit on the water astern of the ship, which 

 seems worth noting, because one usually sees them on the wing. There were 

 a couple of small Albatrosses about,— the first this voyage. It was fine to watch 

 these birds sweeping along in their sailing flight, at intervals interrupted by a few 

 flaps of their great wings; turning this way and that, often leaning far over to one 

 side; now close to the water, now curving into the air some yards above it. They 

 seemed to flap their wings less frequently later when the wind was a little fresher, 

 than earlier with less wind. 



"September 22. Towards evening watched a small Albatross come close to 

 the ship, and then fly off into the distance. I watched it as continuously as I could, 

 and did not see it flap its wings at all. I believe it was sailing all the time. There 

 was a strong wind blowing. 



" October 29. In the afternoon there was a strong wind blowing. I was watch- 

 ing carefully the flight of some Cape. 

 Pigeons, a few 'Mollies' and a Cape Dove 

 or slender-billed Fulmar. The flight of the 

 ^^^^ ihree was very similar and illustrated well 



^^^H^ the sailing, Petrel flight at its highest devel- 



^Bb ^>^^ opment. Occasionally they gave their wings 



^l^lj^^M^ a few flaps, but only occasionally, and the 



^^^^ general impression was that they were sail- 



^H ing, sailing, sailing always. The birds were 



V sometimes horizontal, but often one wing 



^ was lower than the other, and frequently 



the bird was thus tilted far over to oneside. 

 '- I noticed that they turned toward the down 



^[J^^^!^^^^^^!"^"^"^" wing, and probably this is a, if not the 



