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neck, back, and all the underparts of the purest white ; and the upper surface of the wings blackish 
brown, with a broad white patch at the humeral flexure. It was a bird of considerable size — 
larger, indeed, than any of the others — and seemed to take much wider sweeps over the ocean, and 
often approached so near to the stern of our ship that I could detect the pinky flesh-colour of the 
beak. Its tail was white, with what appeared to be a terminal band of black. In long. 126°, the 
weather being bitterly cold, all the Albatroses had left us. But three days later, lat. 56° 22' S., long. 
107° 9' W., a pair of young birds (in brown plumage) came up to us about noon ; and on the following- 
day (March 21), with a stiff gale blowing, an old one appeared in the midst of a flock of Petrels, but 
did not remain very long. The last appearance of this species was on March 22nd, lat. 56°, long. 88°, 
when two birds (one of them in the young plumage) joined us about noon and followed our ship till 
dark. At this time we were steaming before the wind at a great rate, our log having registered 
a run of 320 miles for the previous twenty-four hours. 
About 5 P.M. the next day, lat. 56°, long. 83°, an Albatros of another species, probably D. 
hraohyura, appeared in sight. It kept at a long distance from the steamer, made one wide sweep 
over the sea, and then vanished ; and two days later, having rounded Cape Horn and got into a 
placid ocean, six more of them appeared at one time, sailing close to the water, and then rising high 
in the air (with a movement like a Sea-Gull’s), then sweeping down again in a wide circle and skim- 
ming the surface as before — coursing far away to leeward, keeping company, as it were, with the ship, 
but never following in our wake after the manner of the South Pacific bird. 
Although the Wandering Albatros is very common in the seas round New Zealand, I have never 
heard of its breeding on any of the outlying rocks, except those in the vicinity of the Chatham 
Islands. Campbell and the Auckland Islands are enumerated among its known breeding-stations *. 
Dr. McCormick, surgeon of H.M.S. ‘Erebus,’ who found it nesting on the latter in the months of 
November and December, writes: — “The grass-covered declivities of the hills above the thickets of 
wood are the spots selected by the Albatros for constructing its nest, which consists of a mound of 
earth, intermingled with withered grass and leaves matted together, 18 inches in height, 6 feet in 
circumference at the base, and 27 inches in diameter at the top, in which only one egg is usually 
deposited. The eggs I had an opportunity of weighing varied in weight from 14^ to 19 oz., thirty 
specimens giving an average of 17 oz. ; colour white [measuring 4-75 inches in length by 3-25 in 
breadth]. The Albatros during the period of incubation is frequently found asleep, with its head 
under its wing ; its beautiful white head and neck, appearing above the grass, betray its situation at 
a considerable distance off. On the approach of an intruder it resolutely defends its eggs, refusing to 
quit the nest until forced off, when it slowly waddles away in an awkward manner to a short distance 
without attempting to take wing. Its greatest enemy is a fierce species of Lestris, always on the 
watch for the Albatros quitting its nest, when the rapacious pirate instantly pounces down and devours 
* Mr, J. D. Eiij-s writes to me that it likewise breeds on some rocks north of the Chatham Islands ; and Mr. Hood, a Whare- 
knuri settler, informs me that the Chatham Island natives periodically visit two groups of small islands (the Sisters and the Forty) 
for the purpose of collecting young birds. In August 1883 he saw the boats return with seven hiuidred young Albatroses. The 
natives had caught' them on the nest and wrung their necks. After this they were tried down in their own fat and potted in 
calabashes for future use. Ho has several times joined himself in this annual excursion and assisted in the capture of the young 
birds ; and on one occasion, the natives having chartered his schooner for the purx>ose, they collected as many as two thousand 
young birds off these islands. This w-as in the mouth of Sej)tember, and the young were fully fledged and well grown. From 
the Pyramid Hock, lying off Pitt’s Island, they obtained several luuidrcd more. Mr. Hood states that on these small islands the 
birds breed on the high rooks, forming very rude nests of drift and seaweed, and that each of these contains a single young one. 
Whilst the nests are being plundered in the -wholesale manner described above, the old birds generally sweejr in ■wide circles over- 
head, but never utter a sound. A few braver ones remain near their offspring, but they offer no resistance. The young, on the 
contrary, are very vicious 'udth their beaks, and have to be despatched with clubs. Mr. Hood further states that the young birds 
are pure white with black wings. 
