336 FOREIGN BIRDS. 



The Man-of-War-Bird, ( ,6 ) with a fish in his 

 mouth, 

 Look'd grotesque as he heavily rose from the south ; 



( l6 ) Order, Anseres, (Linn.) Albatross, the Wandering, 

 the Chocolate, the Sooty, the Man-of-War-Bird. 



The genus Diomedea, (Linn.) or Albatross, consists of 

 four species, distinguished by a straight bill, the upper mandible 

 hooked at the point, the lower truncate ; nostrils oval, wide, 

 prominent, lateral ; tongue very small ; feet four toed, all placed 

 forwards, palmate. They are as follow : 



The Exulans, Albatross, fVandering-Albatross, or Man-of- 

 War-Bird, is from three and a half to four feet long ; its general 

 colour is white; back and wings with white lines; bill pale- 

 yellow, legs flesh-colour ; qnill feathers black ; tail rounded, 

 lead-colour; wings, when extended, from ten to thirteen feet ; 

 inhabits most seas, but chiefly within the tropics; rarely flies 

 at a great distance from the water, unless obliged to do so by 

 high winds; seen sometimes in the southern ocean, six or seven 

 hundred leagues from land. 



Eggs numerous, larger than those of a goose, the white not 

 hardened by boiling ; the flesh is tough, but occasionally eaten. 

 The cry of this bird is harsh and braying. It sometimes swal 

 lows a salmon of such length that the whole cannot enter its 

 stomach, the tail part hanging out of its mouth. At such times 

 it is easily knocked down and killed; but, at other times, it 

 makes a stout resistance. The male watches the female while 

 sitting, and supplies her with food. The large intestine is used 

 iu some countries as a floating bladder to buoy up fishing nets ; 

 the bones are employed by some of the South Sea Islanders foi 

 tobacco pipes, needle cases, and other trinkets. As soon as tht 

 young of this bird leave the nest, the Penguin takes possession 

 of it, and hatches its young in turn. 



The Spadiceu, or Chocolate-Albatross, has the body a 



