124 THE AiiBATROSS. 



They do not, however, confine themselves to fish, but 

 will prey on any other sea-animal; and Cook's sailon 

 caught them with a line and a hook. The Kamtschadalei 

 take them by fastening a cord to a large hook, baited with 

 a whole fish, which the birds greedily seize. Their usual 

 food, however, seems rather to be fish-spawn and small 

 moUttscae. M. Querhoent never found in their stomachs 

 anything besides a thick mucilage. 



Notwithstanding their strength, they never venture to 

 attack other sea-birds, but are, on the contrary, attacked by 

 the gulls. " Several large grey gulls," says Cook, " that 

 were pursuing a white albatross, afforded us a diverting 

 spectacle ; they overtook it, notwithstanding the length of 

 its wings, and they tried to attack it under the belly, that 

 part being probably defenceless ; the albatross had now no 

 means of escaping, but by dipping its body into the water j 

 its formidable bill seemed to repel them." 



Their flesh is tough and dry; but the Kamtschadales 

 take them for the sake of their entrails, which they blow 

 and use as buoys for their nets. They employ the wing- 

 bones also, which Edwards says are ts long as their whole 

 hodjy fof tobacco pipes. 



