294 Capt. F. W. Hutton on some of the 



the case; for, having had to be on deck from four to eight 

 o'clock every third morning for six of my voyages, and about once 

 a week during my last voyage, I have had better opportunities 

 for observing this than most people. Sir J. Herschel states, in 

 his 'Physical Geography' (p. 347), that the Albatros sleeps on 

 the wing; but, to the best of my knowledge, no one has seen 

 this, and it appears to me to be quite impossible ; for, as I shall 

 presently show, the bird cannot sustain itself in the air unless it 

 has an onward movement, and if this movement was given by 

 the wings, sleep would be no rest to it. 



The unrivalled flight of the Albatros has been the admiration 

 of voyagers from the earliest time. Day after day, with un- 

 abated interest, I have watched them, and I quite agree with 

 Mr. Gould that the Sooty Albatros [D . fuliginosa) carries off 

 the palm from all competitors. Never have I seen anything to 

 equal the ease and grace of this bird as he sweeps past, often 

 within a few yards, every part of his body perfectly motionless 

 except the head and eye, which turn slowly, and seem to take 

 notice of everything. I have sometimes watched narrowly one 

 of these birds sailing and wheeling about in all directions for 

 more than an hour, without seeing the slightest movement of 

 the wings. This, however, is longer than usual. Wonderful as 

 is this power of flight, it can all be explained by the simple 

 mechanical laws which govern the direction and magnitude of 

 pressures. Dr. Bennett states that he believes " that the whole 

 surface [of the body of the Albatros] is covered by numerous 

 air-cells, capable of a voluntary inflation or diminution by means 

 of a beautiful muscular apparatus. ****** By this 

 power the birds can raise or depress themselves at will." Now, 

 I do not for a moment doubt the existence of this apparatus, for 

 it is well known that all birds have it to a greater or less extent ; 

 but I do doubt its capability of doing the duty assigned to it, 

 viz. raising the bird in the air. The temperature of the Alba- 

 tros, as taken by Sir G. Grey, by placing a thermometer under 

 the tongue, is 98° F., and if we add 10° F. to this, in order to 

 allow for the difference between the head and the body, we shall 

 have the temperature of the air-cells at 108° F. The tempera- 

 ture of the surrounding air cannot be taken lower than 48° F., 



