io8 The Albatrosses and Petrels 



Mr. Lucas, "that type of wing which best fulfils the conditions necessary for 

 an aeroplane, being long and narrow, so that while a full-grown Albatross may 

 spread from ten to twelve feet from tip to tip, this wing is not more than nine 

 inches wide. This spread of wing is gained by the elongation of the inner bones 

 of the wing and by increasing the number of secondaries, there being about 

 forty of these feathers in the wing of the Albatross." 



The Albatrosses, of which some sixteen or eighteen species are known, are 

 mainly birds of the southern tropical or subtropical seas, although two species 

 are found in the North Pacific as far north as Alaska, and two other species are 

 occasionally found on the Pacific coast of the United States ; on the Atlantic side 

 it is rare indeed to find them as far north as Tampa Bay. They are invariably 

 met with by ships that round Cape Horn or the Cape of Good Hope, and many a 

 time has their presence "aroused the tired sailor's admiration by the power and 

 endurance of their scarcely moving wings, which seem never to know or need a 

 rest." The Albatrosses are among the largest of the water birds in existence, 

 at least of those enjoying the power of flight. The spread of wings, as already 

 stated, may reach ten or twelve feet, yet the weight of the entire body of even the 

 largest birds rarely exceeds sixteen or eighteen pounds. The food of the Alba- 

 trosses consists of fish, cuttlefish, jellyfish, offal, and scraps thrown overboard 

 from passing ships. This latter habit of feeding frequently results in their ex- 

 tinction, for by baiting a hook attached to a long line with some tempting bit 

 of meat they are easily caught and drawn on board. This practice has been 

 so often resorted to that, coupled with the frequent destruction of the nests, 

 certain species have been greatly reduced in numbers and seem on the verge of 

 extermination. 



At the nesting time the Albatrosses resort in great numbers to various iso- 

 lated oceanic islands, where they build on the ground in open situations a mound- 

 like nest of mud and grasses some eighteen inches or more high. In a slight 

 depression in the top the single egg is laid. The egg is very large, even for the 

 size of the bird, in the case of the Wandering Albatross being about five inches 

 in length and over three inches in diameter. It is coarse in texture, of an elon- 

 gated oval form, with the smaller end compressed and often enlarged at the tip ; 

 in color the eggs vary from dull white to pale yellow, usually profusely marked 

 at the larger end with reddish brown specks and dots. The birda while incubat- 

 ing the egg sit very closely, allowing a near approach without making the least 

 movement. On this point Kidder says: "They are dull birds, making but little 

 attempt to defend their eggs beyond loudly clattering their bills. The sound thus 

 produced is louder than would be expected, owing to the resonance of the con- 

 siderable cavity included by the mandibles. It is very like the sound of a tin 

 pan beaten with a stick. I knocked several off and secured their eggs before 

 they recovered sufficiently to approach the nests. They climbed on to the 

 empty nests, however, and sat as contentedly, to all appearances, as before. I 

 believe they do not lay a second time ; the whalers, who are very fond of the eggs, 

 assert that they never find a second one in a nest that has been once robbed." 



Many curious stories have been told regarding the treatment of the young. 



