396 Birds. 



THE ALBATROSS, (Diomedea exulans,) 



ALSO resembles the diminutive Petrels in some respects ; 

 but instead of being a pigmy it is a giant among birds. 

 Its wings often measure as much as fifteen feet in extent 

 and are of corresponding power, as they have to support 

 the Albatross by the day together above the stormy 

 waves of the great Southern Ocean. Indeed, so enor- 

 mous is their strength and endurance, that they have 

 been known to follow ships for whole days together, 

 without once resting upon the water. From time to 

 time the gigantic bird plunges down into the sea to 

 capture the fishes with which he satisfies his hunger ; 

 and it is said that where Albatrosses are numerous 

 they will even attack sailors who may happen to fall 

 overboard. From their abundance at the Cape of Good 

 Hope they are often called by mariners Cape sheep. 



Albatrosses generally weigh from twenty to thirty 

 pounds. The plumage is white, except some narrow 

 bars upon the back, and some of the long wing feathers, 

 which are black, and of the head, which is a reddish 

 grey. The beak is long and powerful, and curved at 

 the end, and would be a most terrible weapon if the 

 owner were of a pugnacious disposition. It is, however, 

 quite inoffensive, and is even sometimes attacked by 

 much smaller birds, when it invariably takes to flight, 

 and the immense power of its wings generally enables 

 it to distance its pursuers. The Albatross, like most 

 sea birds, has a most insatiable appetite, and devours 

 immense quantities, not only of fish, but of other sea- 

 animals, such as molluscs. They are so greedy that 

 they are caught by a line baited with a piece of flesh, 

 which the ever-hungry bird swallows at a gulp, paying 

 with his life for the dear repast. They are taken by 

 the natives of the countries they frequent, not for their 

 flesh, which is tough and insipid, but for the sake of 

 their entrails, which are very large and elastic, and 

 are used for a number of useful purposes. 



