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The Great Albatross
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Well-nigh as interesting in every respect | "carries off the palm from all competitors. are the elegant Gulls. The seaside visitor, Never have I seen anything to equal the or, better still, the voyager by sea, knows ease and grace of this bird as he sweeps the Gulls well as familiar denizens of the past, often within a few yards, every part coast, or as vaunting their strength above of his body perfectly motionless, except the trackless deep. Following ships for the head and eye, which turn slowly, and days and weeks, the Gulls pounce upon seem to take notice of everything. I have the morsels of food that a kindly hand may throw to them. sometimes watched narrowly one of these birds sailing and wheeling about for more than an hour, without seeing the slightest movement of the wings."
The adaptation of the Bird to an aquatic life is well-nigh as interesting as that through which it becomes a denizen of the The Albatross, king of the wave, as it air. Thus, whilst the Albatross, Gulls may in truth be named, is, however, often and their neighbors present us with per- captured by devices of well-nigh ignoble fect types of swimmers and flyers com- kind. Its voracity leads it to pounce bined, there are swimming birds which are unsuspectingly upon the refuse food utterly powerless as regards their powers which is thrown overboard from ships. of flight. Thus the Great Penguin pos- By aid of a concealed hook and line the sesses wings which are useless for flight, bird is often caught like a fish, although but which aid the bird in diving, and also its great strength of wing as often as not in swimming under water. In all the enables it to break away from its captors. swimmers, the legs are placed far back on the body, a position which renders their gait awkward on land.
The cannibal instinct appears to be largely developed in the Albatross, for a wounded bird has been seen to be literally torn to One observer, speaking of the flight of pieces and devoured by its rapacious comthese birds, says that the Sooty Albatross panions.
