THE ALBATROSS. 369 



breed on rocky islands, as the Crozettes, Marion 

 Islands, Tristan d'Acunlia, &c. Captain Car- 

 michael* describes their manner of breeding, 

 as seen by himself on the Island of Tristan 

 d'Acimha: — "As we walked down the mountain 

 on our return," he observes, " we passed among 

 flocks of Albatrosses, engaged in the process of 

 incubation, or tending their young. There are 

 four species of them that breed on the island, 

 none of which hatches more than one egg at a 

 time ;—rthe Diomedea spadicea, exulans, chloro- 

 rynchus, and fuliginosa. The two former give 

 themselves no trouble in constructing their nest, 

 merely choosing a dry spot of ground, and giv- 

 ing it a slight concavity, to prevent the egg from 

 rolling out of its place. The egg is white, very 

 large, and of a peculiar shape, being uncom- 

 monly long in proportion to its diameter, and 

 equally thick, or nearly so, at both ends. 



"The black Albatrosses (D. fuliginosa) are at 

 this season (January) gregarious, building their 

 nests close to each other. In the area of half an 

 acre I reckoned upwards of a hundred. They 

 are constructed of mud, raised five or six inches, 

 and slightly depressed at the top. At the time 



* Description of the Island of Tristan d'Acunha, and its 

 Natural Productions. — Linnean Trans, vol. xii. 1818. 

 VOL. II. B B 



