Mensies' Journal. 



Off Coast of California. 



is retractile & opens beneath near the extremity with 

 four retractile feelers placed above it, the sides to the 

 very extremity of the tail are furnishd with numerous 

 soft filaments of a deep blue colour by the motion of 

 which it swims about in the water. 



On rowing a little distance from the ship I shot one 

 of the large dark brown birds which were at different 

 times seen in the course of this passage & found it to be 

 a species of Albatross agreeing nearly in its characteristics 

 with the Die media fuligiiiosa but as I was somewhat doubt- 

 full of its being the same bird, I have here subjoind the 

 following short description of it. 



This Bird is about 7 feet between the tip of its 

 wings moderately extended / & three feet in length 

 including the Bill which is 4 inches & of a chocolate 

 colour, the upper mandible is longer than the under & 

 hookd at the end : The front — a small spot under each 

 eye pointing backwards ; the rump, crissum inner half 

 of the tail & shafts of the quills are white ; the rest of 

 the head neck & tail together with the upper parts of 

 the body & wings are of a dark brown, but the gullet 

 & belly are of a dusky cinereous colour ; the legs toes 

 & claws are black ; the trides dark hazley. 

 The 9th was gloomy weather with several banks of 

 dark clouds all round the horizon & though we had no rain 

 yet there seemd to be a great deal of humidity in the air. 

 We were favord most part of the day with a very light 

 breeze from the Westward which on the following day veerd 

 round by the Southward to the South East quarter where 

 it gradually encreasd in strength to a fresh breeze & con- 

 tinued to blow pretty constant from between South East 

 & South .South East for the four following days, the weather 

 too continud dark & gloomy & sometimes hazy with a few 

 slight showers of rain in squalls. A number of Whales 

 were seen in the course of this day who v^ere no doubt 

 allurd by the abundant store of food afforded them by the 

 sea blubbers which we still continud passing in vast quan- 

 tities & did not get entirely clear of them till the 12th when 

 we reachd the Latitude of 36° 21' North & Longitude 225° 

 East, so that nearly in the parallel of 36 North we found 

 them to extend about 8 degrees of longitude but how far 

 they extended in other directions we were uncertain. 



1792. 

 April 8tb. 



Diomedia 

 nifiripes Aud. 

 (lilack-footed 

 Albatross). 



April 9th. 



April 12th. 



