— ee ee eee
ee ee oy + = .
Se eens

a

ee eee ee re eee

 

+ readily seizes a hook baited with fat of any kind, and if a
c Ss i
attracted, and while flying round it is easily shot. Many
c iy We :
been published respecting the weight and the dimensions of
f i ip of the wings, I paid much attention to the subject, and
is bi ‘cularly of the extent from tip to tip ot th gs, .
this bird, particularly 0 £ both sexes and of all ages, I found the average weight of the Diomedeg
»s of both sexes < ) .
: ip of the wing ten feet one inch. Dr. McCormick
and the extent from tip to tip 0 2
: k . .
net with examples weighing as much as twenty pounds, the extent
The known breeding-places of the Diomedea exulans are

y im any degree lessened 5

1 ion is immediately
I boat be lowered its attention 1

\ S AG { ving
more > eT US accoun N) ha 5

| bers being apparentl
|

| after killing numerous exampl
evulans to be seventeen pounds,
R.N., however, informs me that he has 1

; tstre t¢ ed WI r§S measu red twelve feet.

of whose outs - ‘| ae a | and C: rpbell . that it also breeds on the N ewsto Cs Edd S one,
is S aol r1S c "Ac inha Aucklanc c an I Ah 9 | wst n

the islands of Tris tan d ACU 9 yi ti ne

'

,

:

| lj t rocks to the southward of Van Diemen’s Land, I have but little doubt, as some of the finest
é the adjacent rocks é ae ;

ae a I procured were shot within a few miles of those barren and inaccessible rocks; but as [

| adult specimens I pr 2

:

’

 

——
——_—_—_——-_
—
——
—

: “4: . ean al self of Mr. Augustus Earle’
1 t had an opportunity of observing the nidification of this bird, I avail myse g le’s
i lave not had « x . D Nes cap eae Ps sae
| . tive of a nine months’ residence on the island of Tristan d’Acunha,” wherein he says,
“* Narrative Of <

Yesterday, May the 28th, being a fine morning, accompanied by two of the men, I determined to ascend the mountain. As
“Yesterday, May eoln, 5

| several parties had before gone up, they had formed a kind of path; at least we oes to ie a ee Ton : ae a
) ae = tit: the sides of the mountain are nearly perpendicular ; but after ascending about 2 eet, it is there
| ar eo a eet renders the footing much more safe; but in order to get to the wood, the road is so dangerous
| ee aad, ok a to thiuk of it ; slippery grey Te oo many of them ee loose, a py a a oa
| he mass, and fell with a horrid rumbling noise; here and there were a few patches of grass, the on y

| en ec od i i imbing, which must be done with extreme caution, for the least slip or false step would
i thing we could depend upon to assist us in climbing, \ we
; By stantly looking upwards and continuing to haul ourselves up, by catching firm hold
. dash one to atoms on the rocks below. y constantly ; a xteaded slain of
f the grass, after an hour’s painful toil we gained the summit, where we found ourselves on an e p
Bee ee ‘k grey lava, bare and frightful to behold. We proceeded towards it, the
expanse, which terminates in the peak, composed of dark grey lava, bare Sa Uist hick A
: ee , R S rn several feet high. eathlike stillness
plain gradually rising, but the walk was most fatiguing over strong rank grass and fern alee g ; oe
; ; aaa , fT fancied our forms appeared gigantic
prevailed in these high regions, and, to my ear, our voices had a strange unnatural echo, an : pp fr giga : ;
whilst the air was piercing cold. The prospect was altogether sublime and filled the mind with awe: the huge Albatros here
; ; 5 2 7 and the old ones were stalkin
appeared to dread no interloper or enemy, for their young were on the ground completely uncovered e
around them. ‘They lay but one egg, on the ground, where they make a kind of nest by scraping the earth around it; the young
is entirely white and covered with a woolly down, which is very beautiful. As we approached they snapped their beaks with a
i i i i row! he stomach are the only means of offence
' very quick motion, making a great noise; this and the throwing up of the contents of t i a
and defence they seem to possess. I again visited the mountain about five months afterwards, when I found the young Albatroses

| } still sitting on their nests, and they had never moved away from them.”

To this mteresting account I beg to append the following notes, kindly furnished me by Dr. McCormick,
| Surgeon of H.M.S. Erebus during the late expedition to the South pole :—
;

“The Diomedea evulans breeds in Auckland and Campbell Islands, in the months of November and December. The grass-
covered declivities of the hills, above the thickets of wood, are the spots selected by the Albatros for constructing its nest;
which consists of a mound of earth, intermingled with withered grass and leaves matted together, 18 inches in height,
6 feet in circumference at the base, and 27 inches in diameter at the top, in which only one egg is usually deposited ; for after an
examination of more than a hundred nests, I met with two eggs in the same nest in one solitary instance only. The eggs I had an
opportunity of weighing varied in weight from 144 to 19 oz., thirty specimens giving an average weight of 17 oz.; colour white.
The Albatros during the period of incubation is frequently found asleep, with its head under its wing: its beautiful white head
and neck, appearing above the grass, betray its situation at a considerable distance off. On the approach of an intruder it reso-
lutely defends its ege, refusing to quit the nest until forced off, when it slowly waddles away in an awkward manner to a short
distance, without attempting to take wing. Its greatest enemy is a fierce species of Lestris, always on the watch for the Albatros
quitting its nest, when this rapacious pirate instantly pounces down and devours the egg. So well is the poor bird aware of the
propensity of its foe, that it snaps the mandibles of its beak violently together whenever it observes the Lestris flying overhead.”

I am indebted to Dr. McCormick for a fine egg of this species, which is four inches and three-quarters

long by three and a quarter broad, of a pure white and of the ordinary shape ; another, presented by this
' d

gentleman to the Royal College of Surgeons, is much longer and nearly equal in size at both ends.
Mr. Earle states that the young are a year old before they can fly, but on this point I fear he must be

mistaken ; for although a long period must elapse before their lengthened wings are sufficiently developed to

sustain their heavy bodies during their lengthened flights, still it is natural to suppose that the young
of the breeding-season ; and we know that such is the case, from
the circumstance of young birds and newly laid eves

would leave the nest before the recurrence

not having been found at the same time on the islands
| visited by the officers of the late expedition under Captain Ross.

The Wandering Albatros varies much in colour at different
the exception of the pinions, which are bl

white freckled and barred with dark

ages: very old birds are entirely white, with
ack; and they are to be met with in every stage, from pure white,
brown, to dark chocolate-brown approaching to black, the latter
colouring being always accompanied by a white fac

e, which in some specimens is washed with buff; beneath
the true feathers they are abundantly supplied with a fine white down; the bill is delicate pinky white
inclining to yellow at the tip; irides very dark brown ; eyelash bare, fleshy and of a pale green; legs, feet
and webs pinky white.

| The young are at first clothed in

a pure white down, which gives place to the dark brown colouring
mentioned above.

The figures represent a bird of the

| middle age, and
the natural size.

a bird Supposed to be two years of age, about half

 

tte ee ee