ALBANY ALB ATKOSS. 



1810, !>. 'i..ii ; in IS20, iL'.f.i;}; and in 1SV.">, l;..M;k 

 Albaii) hes near the head of tide-water, on one of 

 Uif fine-t rivers in tilt- \\orKl. which is mmg-.iblc as 

 for as Uie city for sloops of so tons; and, except 

 when tin- ri\rr is olistructi-il by ice, steam-boats nin 

 daily iM-twecn tliis place and the city of New York. 

 The Krie and (.'hamplain canals form a junction at 

 Watervlict, about eight miles north of the city, and 

 their united channelis connected at A. \vilh a large 

 UIMII. which covers a sinf.ice of 32 acres, on the 

 west siile of the river. These advantages, togetlier 

 with many stage-coaches in various directions, render 

 A. one of the greatest thoroughfares in the Tinted 

 Suites. The city carries on ;m extensive trade by 

 means of sloops, chiefly with the city of New York ; 

 and also, to a considerable amount, with Hoston, 

 Philadelphia, and other places. The exports con- 

 S : ,M of \\ heat, and various other kinds of produce. 

 A. was sealed l>y the Dutch about the year 1614, 

 and is, next to Jamestown in Virginia, the oldest 

 town in the I'nited Suites. The site on which it is 

 built is very uneven, and it was originally laid out 

 with little regard to elegance. The older houses 

 are in the Dutch style, with the gable ends to the 

 -t reels; but within the last twenty years, the city 

 lias been greatly improved, and it now contains many 

 elegant public and private buildings. The principal 

 public edifices are the capitol or state-house, a large 

 si nurture of stone, the Albany academy, a spacious 

 and elegant edifice, the suite-hall for the public 

 offices, a state arsenal, and twelve houses of public 

 worship. 



ALBANY ; the modem district of the colony of Uie 

 cape of Good Hope. See Good Hope, 



ALBATROSS (diomedea, L.) ; a genus of web-footed 

 binK. having the following generic characters : a 

 very long bill, which is sutured, robust, thick, 

 straight, and laterally compressed, terminating in a 

 large hook, apparently articulated therewith. The 

 upper mandible is laterally grooved, and the short, 

 tubular nostrils are situated in these grooves; the 

 lower mandible is truncated. The toes are very 

 long, and are webbed with an entire membrane ; 

 the lateral toes are externally edged by a narrow 

 membrane. There is no hind toe or nail; the nails 

 are short and blunt. The tail is rounded, and com- 

 posed of fourteen feathers. The A. most generally 

 known is Uie diomedea exulans of naturalists, the 

 frigate bird, man-of-war bird, and cape sheep of sai- 

 lors. It is the largest of marine biros, as its wings, 

 when extended, measure from ten to twelve feet 

 from tip to tip. These long wings are very narrow, 

 but the A. being extremely strong, is able to fly 

 with f ase over a vast space. Except during high 

 winds, when it ascends to the superior regions of the 

 air, the A. sails gently over the surface of the bil- 

 lows, rising and sinking in graceful undulation, and 

 seizing with avidity every luckless creature that ap- 

 proaches the surface. Pursuing its prey in this 

 manner, it urges its flight far from land, and, by 

 occasionally alighting upon vessels, deceives the in- 

 experienced voyager into an idea that the shore 

 cannot be very distant. At night, this bird settles 

 down upon the waves, and sleeps securely until 

 hunger again commands a renewal of its efforts. 

 The A. might be assumed as a perfect emblem of 

 gluttony, as it is scarcely possible, in description, to 

 do justice to its excessive voracity. Whenever food 

 is abundant, it gorges to such a degree as to become 

 unable either to fly or swim ; frequently it is seen in 

 this state, with a fish partly swallowed and partly 

 hanging from its mouth. The gulls then attack and 

 worry it until it disgorges its prey, upon which they 

 are ready to seize. When caught by hand, it makes 

 * Went struggles with its wings, and strikes with its 



I" ak. IVh spawn, gelatinou* molii-cie, and various 

 small marine animals constitute its ordinary food. 



riyinji-lish are also particularly exposed to this de- 

 vourer, whoM- swiftness of wing is lar superior to 

 theirs. The \oice of the A. is a harsh, disagreeable 

 cry, somewhat resembling that of a pelican ; it ha-, 

 also been compared to the braying of an a^s. To- 

 wards the middle of June, vast numbers of these 

 birds flock towards the coast of Kamt>chatka, tin- 

 sea of Ochotsk, the shores of the Kurile islands ami 

 Mchring's straits. They arrive there, extremely 

 lean, a short time preceding the fish, which come 

 annually to spawn in the fresh w;:ti r of the rivers; 

 but, soon after, the birds become very fat from the 

 abundance of food. They bcin to retire from these 

 coasts about the end of July, and by the I.Mh of 

 August the whole have disappeared. During their 

 sojourn, the Kamtschadales catch numbers of them 

 by baiting hooks with fish, or by knot-king them on 

 the head when overgorged. They are not u-ikcn for 

 their flesh, which is coarse, rank, and disgusting ; 

 but their large, hollow wing-bones furnish the nativ is 

 with various useful implements, while certain parts 

 of their intestines are inflated and employed as floats 

 for fishing-nets. About the middle of September, 

 they seek the southern shores of America, for the 

 purpose of breeding ; there they build nests of earth 

 two feel or more high, and lay numerous eggs, which 

 are larger than those of a goose, being about four 

 and a half inches long, generally white, except to- 

 wards the larger extremity, where they are speckled 

 with black. These eggs are edible, and it is slat' d, 

 by those who have used them, that the white is not 

 rendered hard by boiling. While the female sits 

 upon the nest, the male is industriously employed in 

 supplying her with food. This seems to be more 

 especially necessary, as hawks are constantly on the 

 watch for an opportunity of pouncing upon Uie eggs 

 the moment the nest is left exposed. As soon as 

 the A. finally relinquishes the nest, it is taken pos- 

 session of by a species of penguin. The common A. 

 (diomedea ejculans) is from three to four feet long, of 

 a greyish-brown or whitish colour, with lines of b!r>ck 

 upon the back and wings. The inferior part of the 

 body and rump are white ; the end of the tail and a 

 great part of the wings are black. The shafts of the 

 quills are yellow. The feet, toes, and web mem- 

 brane are of a reddish brown colour; the beak is 

 blackish. The female is similar to the male ; the 

 young differ much from the adidt. The A. moults 

 twice a-year without changing its colours. Three 

 other species are considered as having been esta- 

 blished by naturalists: diomedea chlororhyncos, black 

 and yellow-beaked A., of the size of a domestic 

 goose ; diomedea spadicea, dark brown or chocolate- 

 coloured A., larger Uian the common goose ; dwme- 

 dea fuliginosa, sooty or quaker A , smaller than the 

 common A. It is highly probable Uiat future inv i - 

 tigation will reduce the number of species which 

 have been proposed. This bird is most commonly 

 found within the tropics, about the cape of Good 

 Hope, and even amid the ice of the Austral 

 It is sometimes, though rarely, seen on the co;: 

 the Middle States ot the Union. Except what lias 

 been already mentioned relative to the use made of 

 them by the Kamtscliadales, we know of no econo- 

 mic purpose for which they are employed. Possibly 

 their large quills might be found useful, if obtained 

 in sufficient numbers. The importance of the A. in 

 the economy of nature may be readily collected from 

 what we have stated relative to its food, and the vast 

 extent of surface over which it can protract its flight. 

 It serves as one of the numerous restrainers of "Uie 

 superabundant increase of animal life, and, in its 

 turn, becomes the prey of creatures stronger or more 



