52 BIRDS IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC. 



excellent sio-lit of his small and flukes. What I felt 

 I cannot describe ; but the shining skin covering 

 all, and the manifestation of power and bulk, in 

 every movement, made me think of some vast piece 

 of iron machinery ; and I cannot imagine a more 

 effective battering ram than a whale's flukes em- 

 ployed by himself. 



In these latitudes we saw numbers of varied speci- 

 mens of the ornithological familj'-. The albatross, 

 monimoke, old horse, noddy, cape pigeon, garnet, 

 mutton bird, and Mother Carey's chicken or petrel, 

 all existing here in great numbers. The albatross I 

 have seen measure fifteen feet from the extremity of 

 one wing to the tip of the other. It is a beautiful 

 bird, and comes around a ship in great numbers 

 wdien a whale is alongside. They are ever on the 

 alert for something to eat, appear at all times 

 hungry, and their voraciousness makes them an easy 

 prey. They are often caught. Their quills are not fit 

 for pens, but are used by sailors to splice their pipes ; 

 their feathers are used in making beds and pillows ; 

 their feet are skinned and made into tobacco-pouches; 

 whilst the head and bill are cleaned and taken home 

 as a curiosity. As a general thing they are not eaten ; 

 but our cook at one time agreed to cook them, if we 

 would catch and dress them. They were soon ready 

 for him ; and after being cooked they were very pala- 

 table, although they had an oily flavor, somewhat 

 resembling that of the canvas-back duck. Tlie 

 mess having succeeded so well, it became a favorite, 

 but was indulged in so often that it soon fell into 

 distaste, and the practice was not again revived ; the 

 more so, as the captain had a peculiar regard for the 



