374 THE ALBATROSS. 



board will amuse themselves by firing with ball 

 at the poor bird as it follows the bait ; one I saw 

 struck by the deadly shot, turned on its back, 

 dead, and, as the ship passed it, we could see 

 its companions fall upon it eager to make 

 it their prey. We were inclined to consider 

 this wanton act a useless destruction of bird- 

 life ; but his companions seemed to regard it 

 only in the light of a fine, fat, oily prize. 



These birds are sometimes very ravenous, and 

 even when foiled in several attempts to seize the 

 bait, l)y the passage of the ship through the water 

 being too rapid for them, they will persevere 

 as long as they seem to think there is any chance 

 of success. 



In 1828, when dissecting the head of the 

 Albatross, T observed, imbedded in a bony cavity, 

 situated immediately over the orbit, a gland, 

 which was covered above by a dense fascia. 

 The cavity to which the gland corresponded was 

 of a semilunar form, and situated over each 

 orbit : at the anterior part of this cavity or de- 

 pression a small portion was left membranous, 

 excepting a minute orifice, permitting the pas- 

 sage of what seemed to me to be an excretory 

 duct, but the course of which I lost soon after it 

 had penetrated this membrane. The floor of 

 the cavity was perforated by numerous minute 



