The Lively Mollymauk 339 



I cannot say whether the statement is a fact or not. 

 Personally, I should be inclined to say that it is not 

 found any farther north than its great relative. It 

 is exceedingly plentiful in the ' roaring forties,' being 

 far more often seen by ordinary merchantmen than 

 the albatross. It is a constant attendant upon ships 

 for the sake of the scraps thrown overboard, but 

 except in a gale it does not keep anything like so stately 

 a poise about them. It is continually on the go, 

 wheeling about the ship, darting away and returning, 

 and oftentimes it may be seen snatching a morsel from 

 beneath the very feet of a descending albatross, which 

 drops into the water with an angry protesting cry 

 and watches grimly the quick fluttering away of the 

 interloper. It rarely exceeds six feet in the breadth 

 of its wings, and they do not stand out quite so 

 straightly from the body as do those of the albatross. 

 It is so rapid in its movements that it is often caught 

 while the vessel is going as much as four knots an 

 hour through the water, when it requires almost a dead 

 calm to catch an albatross, the latter being so very 

 deliberate in his movements. 



The plan usually adopted, but entirely repre- 

 hensible, is to take a sail-hook, which has a long 

 stem, a straight jaw and no barb, and fasten it to 

 a long fishing-line. A strip of fat pork, raw, with 

 the rind on, is then fastened to the hook in such a 

 manner than the bow of the hook, though concealed, 

 is quite free from being hampered by the tough fat. 

 The bait is tied up the shank of the hook, so that 

 when the line is towing the hook shall be first seized 

 by a would-be devourer of the pork. The moment 

 the bird is seen hovering overhead, the bait is flung 

 out and the line let lun as rapidly as possible. Thus 

 until the whole of the line is run out, the bait is nearly 



