258 



DIOMEDEA. ALBATROSS. 



Generic Character. 



Rostrum longissimum, vali- 

 dum, crassum, rectum, la- 

 teratim compressum ; man- 

 dibulii superiore sulcata, 

 apice adunca; inferiore 

 apice truncata. 



Nares tubulatae. 



Pedes tridactyli ; ungue pos- 

 tico nullo. 



Beak very long, strong, thick, 

 straight, laterally com- 

 pressed ; the upper man- 

 dible with a groove, its 

 tip hooked ; the lower with 

 its tip truncated. 



Nostrils tubulated. 



Legs three-toed; no hinder 

 claw. 



DIOMEDEA. Linn., Gmel., Lath. 

 ALBATRUS. Briss. 



J HE Albatrosses are the largest of the aquatic 

 birds, and all inhabit the southern regions, living 

 on the smaller fishes, vermes, and mollusca. In the 

 Linnean Transactions, vol. xii. p. 489, Captain Car- 

 michael observes that at least four species breed on 

 the Island of Tristan de Cunha ; that all of them 

 nourish their young by disgorging the contents of 

 the stomach : during the time of incubation no alarm 

 is experienced on the approach of any man, as the 

 birds suffer themselves to be kicked or pulled off their 



