8 THE: A UlDUtBSOANe BU Uo ean : 
while goggle fishing, and once with a shark. I pursued this pastime in 
blissful ignorance of the many dangers lurking in tropical waters. But I 
learned the hard way. 
“T have Alexander’s book and discovered a few errors in it. In a recent 
lecture to 500 officers I convulsed them with a description of Midway’s 
‘gooney’ bird, the white albatross.” 
The third letter, from which the following is quoted, is a later one from 
Capt. Murphy, and gives us more about his South Sea bird friends. 
“Here are some rather good pictures of the Laysan albatross, more 
commonly known as the “gooney” bird. You must know where they were 
taken, although I won’t admit to taking them there. However, if you care 
to publish the pictures, they were taken in the Hawaiian archipelago, so 
to speak. 
“The shots are fairly characteristic, displaying the island habitat of the 
birds. They nest in the type of shrubbery shown, which is known as 
“seaevolo,” and the young usually secure themselves on top of the coral 
Pair of Laysan albatrosses 
mounds shown. This little bit of altitude on an almost flat island enables 
them to take advantage of every slight breeze, in which they flap their 
wings and simulate a “take-off” in general. Frequently in the process a 
gust will hit one and send him rolling down the hill. But, nothing daunted, 
he clambers back up and resumes his vigorous flapping. Again, the wind 
will sometimes lift one off the ground a foot or so, much to his surprise and 
bewilderment. When this happens, his expression appears to be a mixture 
of incredulity and ecstatic wonderment. So he tries it again. 
“The pair in the picture have just completed their love dance, the male 
looking masterly and the female clacking her bill in a seemingly scolding 
manner. The single one in the other picture is giving a warning clack also 
as he glances at the intruder out of the corner of his eye. I’m rather proud 
of these shots for I have yet to see any good pictures of this type of 
albatross. Note the delicate shading around the eyes to ward off reflection 
of the sun. And I can attest to the sharpness of their beaks.” 
