396 Birds. 
THE ALBATEOSS, (Diomedea exulans,) 
Also resembles the diminutive Petrels in some respects ; 
but instead of being a pigmy it is a giant among birds. 
Its wings often measure as much as fifteen feet in extent 
and are of corresponding power, as they have to support 
the Albatross by the day together above the stormy 
waves of the great Southern Ocean. Indeed, so enor- 
mous is their strength and endurance, that they have 
been known to follow ships for whole days together, 
without once resting upon the water. From time to 
time the gigantic bird plunges down into the sea to 
capture the fishes with which he satisfies his hunger ; 
and it is said that where Albatrosses are numerous 
they will even attack sailors who may happen to fall 
overboard. From their abundance at the Cape of Good 
Hope they are often called by mariners Cape sheep. 
Albatrosses generally weigh from twenty to thirty 
pounds. The plumage is white, except some narrow 
bars upon the back, and some of the long wing feathers, 
which are black, and of the head, which is a reddish 
grey. The beak is long and powerful, and curved at 
the end, and would be a most terrible weapon if the 
owner were of a pugnacious disposition. It is, however, 
quite inoffensive, and is even sometimes attacked by 
much smaller birds, when it invariably takes to flight, 
and the immense power of its wings generally enables 
it to distance its pursuers. The Albatross, like most 
sea birds, has a most insatiable appetite, and devours 
immense quantities, not only of fish, but of other sea- 
animals, — such as molluscs. They are so greedy that 
they are caught by a line baited with a piece of flesh, 
which the ever-hungry bird swallows at a gulp, paying 
with his life for the dear repast. They are taken by 
the natives of the countries they frequent, not for their 
flesh, which is tough and insipid, but for the sake of 
their entrails, which are very large and elastic, and 
are used for a number of useful purposes. 
