New York Zoological Society. 
GALAPAGOS ALBATROSSES (Diomedea irrorata). Weight: 17 pounds. Range: 
Galapagos Islands and western Peru. 
Considered among the most graceful of all birds, the albatross soars over 
the sea for hours on motionless wings. 
The Galapagos albatross, a small species, has the shortest tail and the 
largest bill of any albatross. Its color is dusky brown with white markings. 
To some travelers, the gait of this bird has suggested the swagger of the 
gangster. Beebe characterizes it as “the gait of flat feet, fallen arches, and 
crippled limbs.” Though awkward on the ground, this bird is a masterly 
flier. In order to take off from level ground, it must first run several feet. 
BLACK-BROWED AL¬ 
BATROSS , OR 
MOLLY MAUK (Dio¬ 
medea MELANO- 
phrys). Wing Spread: 
8 feet. Range: Antarc¬ 
tic Seas and South 
Pacific Ocean. 
A specimen of this 
species was observed 
for thirty-four consecu¬ 
tive years consorting 
and migrating with 
gannets in the Faroe 
Islands, far from its 
native haunts in the 
Southern Hemisphere. 
E. F. Pollock, Nature Magazine, 
