THE ALBATROSS. 270 



Wicquefort's remarks. 



water-fowl as it can take by surprise. It may be 

 considered as the principal of the gull kind ; like 

 the whole of them it seeks its prey upon the wing ; 

 and chiefly pursues the flying fish, that are forced 

 from the sea by the dolphins. The ocean in 

 that part of the world present a very different 

 appearance from the seas with which we are sur- 

 rounded. In our seas we see nothing but a 

 dreary expanse ruffled by winds, and seemingly 

 forsaken by every class of animated nature. 

 But the tropical seas, and the distant southern 

 latitudes beyond them, are all alive with birds 

 and fishes, pursuing and pursued. Every various 

 species of the gull kind are there seen hovering 

 on the wing, at an immense distance from the 

 shore. A picture of which has been thus most 

 ably drawn: " the flying fish are every moment 

 rising to escape from their pursuers of the deep; 

 only to encounter equal dangers in the air. Just 

 as they rise the dolphin is seen to dart after them, 

 but generally in vain ; the gull has more frequent 

 success, and often takes them at their rise; while 

 the albatross pursues the gull, and obliges it to 

 relinguish its prey: so that the whole horizon 

 presents but one living picture of rapacity and 

 invasion." 



These facts have been too clearly ascertained 

 to leave the smallest kind of doubt; but how far 

 credence may be given to Wicquefort, in what 

 he adds concerning the albatross, the reader is 

 kft to determine ; " these birds," says that wri- 

 ter, " except when they breed, live entirely re- 



