Flight of the Albatross. 89 



My experience of petrels and albatrosses is that whenever they 

 are having a really good meal, they invariably sit down on the 

 water. This is especially noticeable about noon, when mess 

 garbage is thrown overboard, and in perfectly calm weather I 

 have even seen a flock of storm petrels settle down on the surface 

 as if meaning to rest themselves, and remain as still as ducks on 

 a pond, basking in the sunshine. One day also in moderately fine 

 weather I thought I saw a Cape pigeon dive. This surprised me 

 so that I watched, and saw the manoeuvre repeated again and again. 

 Some refuse had been cast overboard which scarcely floated, and 

 this petrel, being desirous of possessing some morsels of food 

 which were submerged, dived bodily down, apparently without the 

 least inconvenience. 



Before quitting this subject, I shall say a few words on a 

 somewhat hackneyed but still open question, viz., "the flight 

 of the albatross." I have had many opportunities of watching the 

 yellow-billed species (D. Melanophrys), and I have noticed that 

 it sometimes uses its wings to raise or propel itself in such a 

 manner that to a superficial observer it would then appear to 

 be only soaring with wings stationary. It does not "flap" them, 

 but depresses them rapidly towards the breast, so that it seems 

 as if the body were being raised at the expense of the wings, 

 whereas, in reality, the entire bird is elevated. The movement 

 does not resemble a flap, simply because the return of the wings 

 to the horizontal position is accomplished by a comparatively 

 slow movement. By resorting to this manoeuvre occasionally, it 

 is able to maintain a soaring flight for periods which, without 

 its aid, might be considered extraordinarily long. Of course, 

 when it wants to gain a fresh stock of buoyancy and momentum, 

 it gives three or four flaps like any other bird. 



During our return stay at Valparaiso from the 1st to the 2ist 

 of August, I made a trip to Santiago, the capital of Chili. 

 Santiago is built on the great plateau which lies between the coast 

 range of hills and the Cordillera, and is 1,500 feet above the sea 



