"FISHING" FOR THE BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS 237 



purpose. The Albatross can sail for hours, to and fro, with- 

 out resting, and with wings so motionless they might as well 

 be mechanically fixed. 



Dr. Charles H. Townsend, who, as naturalist of the United 

 States Fish Commission steamer Albatross, has had excep- 

 tional opportunities for studying Albatrosses at sea in all 

 kinds of weather, has kindly furnished the following account 

 of the most conspicuous species that inhabits the North 

 Pacific : 



BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS 1 is a common bird almost anywhere 

 in the Pacific Ocean, from the latitude of California northward. This 

 dark species is frequently seen the first day out, and can usually be de- 

 pended upon to follow vessels in increasing numbers. On many voyages 

 between San Francisco and the Aleutian Islands, the average attendance 

 of Albatrosses, or "Gonies," as they are usually called, was from fifteen 

 to twenty. Whether the same individuals stayed with the vessel during 

 the whole run, or were replaced from time to time by other birds en- 

 countered along the way, we could not determine. 



The birds were w r ith us from daylight to dark, and in all sorts of 

 weather. The S. S. Albatross, being engaged in deep-sea investigations, 

 made frequent stops for the purpose of sounding and dredging. At such 

 times the flock of birds would alight upon the water, often coming close 

 enough to be caught on cod-hooks baited with pork. When on the wing, 

 sometimes all the birds would assemble at once to feed on the waste thrown 

 overboard from the galley, alighting in a confused manner, with much 

 squawking and fluttering of wings. 



We often hooked specimens while the ship was under way, by paying 

 out the line rapidly enough to leave the bait lying motionless, and buoyed 

 on the surface with a cork. The birds were not able to pick up a bait 

 while on the wing, or while it was moving. When hooked they would 

 set their wings rigidly at an angle, and a rapid hauling-in of the long line 

 would send a bird skyward like a kite, which position it would retain 

 until hauled down on the deck. 



Fishing for "Gonies" was a common amusement on the Albatross, 

 and specimens were often photographed alive on the decks, or marked in 

 some way to determine if possible whether the same individuals followed 



1 Di-o-me'de-a ni'gri-pes. 



