2 Lucas, Notes of a Bird Catcher. [January 



prevented for days from procuring their regular amount of food, 

 the pangs of hunger overcome their natural distrust. 



The Albatross has a deliberate way that accords well with his 

 ample proportions and grave countenance, and when a bait is 

 spied does not hasten to plant himself beside it like a greedy 

 little Cape Pigeon, but usually takes a contemplative turn before 

 settling down for a thorough inspection of the tempting dainty. 

 If the investigation proves satisfactory he may condescend to bite, 

 but it not infrequently happens that by the time this conclusion 

 is arrived at the end of the line is reached also, and the morsel of 

 fat pork is suddenly snatched away leaving the bird looking 

 about him with a much aggrieved and puzzled expression. 

 There the Albatross will often sit for five minutes before rising 

 to follow the departing vessel, possibly to go through with pre- 

 cisely the same performance. Should he, however, be hooked, 

 the spirit of opposition is aroused within him. and sitting upright, 

 with big webbed feet thrust firmly forward, the Albatross beats 

 t he water vigorously with his wings, or holds them stiffly ex- 

 tended in an effort to free himself from the hook by mere dead 

 weight. 



The strain of such a bird pulling at the end of a hundred and 

 fifty feet of line is considerable ; but so long as he pursues these 

 tactics his capture is pretty well assured. For the Albatross is 

 not 'hooked' in the ordinary sense of the word, but is simply 

 held by the hook catching in the curved bill. So long, therefore, 

 as the strain on the line is steady, so long will the hook hold ; 

 once slackened, it drops by its own weight, and if, as sometimes 

 happens, the bird flies towards the ship he is soon free. 



Like the majority of sea birds, the Albatross cannot rise from 

 a vessel's deck, but waddles about as helpless as if wing-clipped. 

 As regards size, the largest of four measured by me — a two year 

 old bird — was 10' 4'' in extent and weighed about fourteen pounds. 

 I have known one to weigh eighteen pounds, and have been told 

 of specimens which actually measured 12, 13, and 15 feet from 

 tip to tip. Is it not possible that it requires as many years for 

 this bird to attain its full size as to put on the adult plumage? 

 Certain it is that the largest specimens are the whitest and most 

 wary. And I would suggest that melanistic examples of Diomc- 

 dea cxulans may not be infrequent, for twice on one voyage 

 large, dark colored birds were observed which, from their size, 



