4 OCEAN BIRDS. 



There are eight distinct species of Albatross now discovered, viz. : — 



The Great Wandering Albatross (Diomedea exulans, Gould). Plate I., fig. 1. 



The Short-tailed Albatross (D. hrachfiura, Audubon). Plate II., fig. 2. 



The Cautious Albatross (D. cauta, Gould). Plate II., fig. 3. 



The Culminated Albatross (D. culminala, Gould). Plate II., fig. 4. 



The Yellow-billed Albatross (D. chlororhijnchos, Gould). Plate II., tig. 5. 



The Black-browed Albatross (D. melanophrijs, Gould). Plate II., fig. 6. 



The Sooty Albatross {D. fulujinosa, Gould). Plate II., fig. 7. 



And lastly the newly discovered D. irrorata, Salvin, p. 16. 



Capt. King, E.N. (Proc. Zool. Soc, 1834, p. 128), says : — " Where one species abounds, 

 the others are only occasionally seen ; from which it may be inferred that each species 

 breeds in distinct haunts." This I have noticed to hold good on an entire voyage from 

 England to Australia ; so that the times of breeding must be as distinct as the localities. 



On account of its superior size, together with its well-earned popularity with seafaring 

 folk, comes first and foremost the Great Wandering Albatross (D. exulans), Plate I., fig. 1 — 

 The Albatross, as it is always considered at sea. This most truly magnificent bird is found 

 chiefly between 30° and 60° S. latitude, and as the famous naturalist Gould tells us, in his 

 ' Australian Birds,' " is constantly engaged in making a circuit of the globe in that particular 

 zone allotted by nature for its habitation." It is occasionally met with in the Tropics as 

 far as 12° South, but when seen there always appears to be completely out of its element. 

 Lord Pembroke and Dr. Kingsley, in ' South Sea Bubbles,' say that an Albatross in a dead 

 calm is one of the meanest of creatures on the wing they had ever seen, and I well remember 

 a long calm in the Tropics with a solitary bird keeping close to the ship, and how laboured his 

 flight appeared. The aspect and carriage of the bird would bear no comparison to that of 

 the dashing-looking specimens seen south of the Cape of Good Hope. Bree includes 

 D. exulans in his beautiful ' Birds of Europe.' I have known several instances of their being 

 conveyed across the line in a ship, and let fly on the northern side. Now such birds would be 

 sure to take a northerly course, which probably accounts for their being introduced as 

 an European species. 



A distinguishing feature of Diomedea is their formidable bill. In D. exulans it is pale 

 yellow, and about six inches in length, with the upper mandible hooked at the point and the 

 lower truncated. Like all the Albatrosses the nostrils are large and prominent, and placed 

 widely apart. The head, neck, and body much resemble those of a Goose, both in shape and 

 size, especially when deprived of the extraordinarily thick layer of feathers. The comparatively 



