14 W. K. Fisher, Habits of the Laysan Albatross. \J\m 



I found that in most cases the birds would bow to me if they 

 were interrupted in their dance, or if they had very recently been 

 playing, but would not bow at all if accosted near their young, or 

 when standing idle. Unusual as this trait may appear it exempli- 

 fies again what extraordinary birds Albatrosses really are. 



I saw the Black-footed Albatrosses {D. nigripes) rather seldom 

 engaged in the dance, and indeed they impress one as more mat- 

 ter-of-fact creatures. The only difference which was observed in 

 the ceremony as carried out by the two species, is that nigripes 

 spreads its wings slightly (the metacarpus or ' hand ' being folded 

 closed) when it lilts its head to utter the nasal song. 



If we wander over the island on a moonlight night a strange 

 scene greets us. Nocturnal petrels and shearwaters are wide- 

 awake and are sobbing and yowling as if all the cats in a great 

 city had tuned up at once. Back and forth in the weird light 

 flutter shadowy forms, and from beneath our feet dozing young 

 Gonies bite at us in protest. Down by the lagoon where the 

 herbage is short we can see for some distance, and the ghostly 

 forms of Albatrosses shine out on all sides, busily bowing and 

 fencing, while the nasal sounds of revelry are borne to us from 

 far across the placid lagoon, and we know that in other parts of 

 the island the good work is still progressing. And so in the leis- 

 ure moments of the long summer days, and far into the night, 

 these pleasure-loving creatures seem to dance for the joy of danc- 

 ing and only work because they must. 



But in their hours of toil they hie themselves off to sea, and 

 scour the waves for the elusive squid, which is a staple article of 

 diet for the larger members of the vast bird population, the gan- 

 nets, perhaps, excepted. About sunrise the main body of the 

 white company begins to return, and for several hours they strag- 

 gle in, tired but full, and seek their sleepy children, who are soon 

 very much awake. Although the Laysan Albatrosses undoubtedly 

 do a small part of their fishing during the day, I cannot help but 

 feel, from the nocturnal or crepuscular habits of their food — cer- 

 tain cephalopods — and the prevalent feeding hours, that the 

 major portion is done in the very early morning, perhaps from 

 just preceding dawn till light. I noted particularly during the 

 one day I was on the steamer, while she was dredging in the 



