142 
VOYAGE TO GREENLAND. 
birds from their nests, when they instantly occupy 
them and devour their eggs. After several in- 
effectual attempts to procure one of these marau- 
ders, I at length succeeded in shooting one which 
came within reach of my gun. This bird is 
called by Buffon, Vabbe-d-longue-queue ; it is singu- 
larly beautiful and elegant ; it has a black bill one 
inch and a quarter in length from the base ; upper 
mandible most curved at the point ; lower mandible 
gibbous ; nostril, linear and situated in a curve ; 
tongue cleft ; front, crown, and nape dark brown ; 
neck, cheeks, chin, throat, breast and belly, white ; 
all the rest of the body dusky ; wings, darker 
coloured ; the two middle feathers of the tail, seven 
inches longer than the rest ; legs, lead-colour ; 
thighs, black ; and feet of the same hue and webbed ; 
length nineteen inches ; extent of wing, thirty-nine 
inches ; insides, amber brown. 
On returning on board, an unicorn was observed 
upon the surface of the water, in a very unusual 
posture, exhibiting one of the lobes of its tail, 
while a fin occasionally moved ; on getting nearer 
to it, it was distinctly seen to be lying on its side, 
and supporting by its fin a little one, which was 
sucking at the breast; both the parent and her 
offspring made their escape just before the harpooner 
could execute his design of causing a fatal separa- 
tion between them. The colour of the water con- 
tinued to deepen, as we proceeded to the westward, 
and an uncommon quantity of different medusae 
was observed floating in it. Medusae are considered 
