THE ALBATROSS 59 



surface of the ground tears and bruises the soft webs 

 of his feet. 



But come ashore he must at certain times. For a home 

 has to be made, and he and his mate have to see to the 

 rearing of their downy white baby. 



The Albatross nurseries are to be found on the high 

 tablelands of some of the desolate islands in the Southern 

 Ocean, such as Tristan d'Acunha and the Falkland 

 Isles. The nest is merely a mound of mud and grass, 

 with a slight hollow in the centre. The parent birds 

 arrive at the spot and begin preparations in October ; 

 but the one egg is not hatched till January. Even then 

 the little creature is not ready to fly away for several 

 months. 



In some of these nurseries, which now alas ! number 

 only about half a dozen, the birds, while they are sitting, 

 will allow a human intruder to walk in and out among 

 the nests, without stirring or becoming scared. 



One species of Albatross is found in the North Pacific, 

 and has its nurseries on the island of Laysan, in Hawaii. 

 Here the friendly owner of the island protected them from 

 being molested and they became very tame. But now the 

 carting away of their eggs has become a regular business, 

 and one wonders how long the birds will remain, in face of 

 this interference. 



An American magazine, a year or two ago, called 

 attention to the curious antics of these Laysan Albatrosses. 

 "These birds," says the writer, "sometimes perform in 

 pairs a kind of dance. Two of them approach one another, 

 nodding and making profound bows. They cross their 

 bills, produce snapping and groaning sounds, rise on their 

 toes, puff out their breasts, and finally part, with more 

 nodding and bowing, only to come together again and 



