OCEANIA WOOD 387 



Of course we were much interested in and always on the watch for 

 a sight of an albatross. The Pacific coast is occasionally the resort 

 of four humble members of the family, but not of "the bird that 

 made the wind to blow," He, the wandering albatross {Diomedea 

 exulans), is almost pure white, the back showing narrow, transverse, 

 wavy dark lines, the quills of the wing feathers being black. Some 

 writers probably exaggerate this bird's spread of wing; Ridgway 

 says that it is about 11 feet (from 125 to 130 inches). The bill is 

 yellow, becoming orange at the base. 



Many are the descriptions of the wonderful powers of flight shown 

 by this denizen of the southern ocean. For instance, Greenbie is 

 moved to use the following language : " But chill and melancholy as 

 was that southern sea, there hovered over it a creature whose call 

 upon one's interest was more than compensating. Swooping with 

 giant wings in careless ease, the albatrosses follow us day in and day 

 out. Always on the wing, awake or asleep, in sunshine or in storm, 

 the air his home as water is to fish, and earth to mammal. Even the 

 ship was no lure to him by way of support. He followed it, accepted 

 whatever was thrown him from it, but as for dependence upon it — 

 no such weakness. Swift, huge, glorious, unconsciously majestic, 

 he is indeed a bird of good omen. How he floats with never a sign 

 of effort! How he glides atop the waves, skims them, yet is never 

 reached by their flame-like leapings; simulates their motion with- 

 out the exhaustion into which they sink incessantly. He does not 

 gorge himself as does the sea gull, nor is he ever heard to screech 

 that selfish, hungry, insatiable screech. Silent, sadly voiceless, 

 rhythmic, symbolic without being restrained by pride of art, he ex- 

 emplifies right living. He is our link between shores, the one dream 

 of reality on an ocean of opiate loveliness wherein there is little of 

 earth's confusion and pain." 



Major Le Souef reports {Emu, p. 53, 1922) that during a recent 

 trip to England from Sydney Diomedea exulans was much in evi- 

 dence, and was a faithful follower of the ship. As soon, however, 

 as the outside temperature rose above TO degrees F. at 4 o'clock 

 p. m. the wandering albatross invariably left the track of the ship 

 and flew southward in search of cooler weather. In other words, 

 Le Souef thinks that temperature is an important factor in de- 

 termining the range of this bird. He calculated the flight of these 

 albatrosses at from 20 to 40 miles an hour. He also noticed that 

 the Atlantic adults have more brown in their plumage than those 

 he saw in the Indian Ocean, the latter presenting beautiful, pure 

 white wings whose silvery tones are heightened by their black tips. 

 I have also noticed the effect of temperature on range (and have 

 reported it in the same journal) relative to the New Zealand 



