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THE ALBATitOSS. 
They do not, however, confine themselves to fish, but 
will prey on any other sea-animal; and Cook's sailors 
caught them with a line and a hook. The Kamtschadales 
take them by fastening a cord to a large hook, baited with 
a whole fish, which the birds greedily seize. Their usual 
food, however, seems rather to be fish-spawn and small 
molluscse. M. Querhoent never found in their stomachs 
anything besides a thick mucilage. 
Notwithstanding their strength, they never venture to 
attack other sea-birds, but are, on the contrary, attacked by 
the gulls. “ Several large grey gulls," says Cook, “ that 
were pursuing a white albatross, afforded us a diverting 
spectacle ; they overtook it, notwithstanding the length of 
its wings, and they tried to attack it under the belly, that 
part being probably defenceless ; the albatross had now no 
means of escaping, but by dipping its body into the water; 
its formidable bill seemed to repel them." 
Their flesh is tough and dry; but the Kamtschadales 
take them for the sake of their entrails, which they blow 
and use as buoys for their nets. They employ the wing- 
bones also, which Edwards says are as long as their whole 
body, for tobacco pipes. 
