THE LARIDÆ.
"Notwithstanding the dissimilarity of the bill," says Mr. Vigors (_Linn.
Trans._, vol. xiv.), "the Sterna and Rhynchops most intimately accord in
habits and external characters. The Gull-billed Tern of Colonel Montagu
conducts us from these genera to the groups which compose the Linnæan
genus _Larus_--now divided into two genera, _Lestris_ and _Larus_. From
this group we are led to the genera _Diomedeæ_ and _Haladroma_, by the
absence of the hind toe, by means of the species _Larus tridactylus_
(Latham), where, though the hind toe is not absolutely different, as
might be inferred from its name, there appears but the rudiment of one.
The last-mentioned genus, _Haladroma_, originally belonged to
_Procellaria_, and was separated from it by its tridactyle foot. Even in
this character, however, it forms a connection from _Larus_ to the
groups that compose the genuine _Procellaria_, all of which are
distinguished by the singular peculiarity of having no true hind toe,
but only a nail adhering to the tarsus in its place. We thus arrive at
the Petrels, separated into groups of the _Procellaria_ (Anet),
_Pachyptila_ (Ilf.), _Puffucus_ (Ray)."
THE LONGIPENNES (_Cuvier_).
The _Grands Voiliers_, or Long-winged Birds, are thus named from their
powerful and enduring faculty of flight. Mariners meet with them
everywhere, and easily recognise them by their long and pointed wings,
forked tails, and short legs. In this order the back toe is unconnected
with the others, or is wanting, and the membrane which unites the others
much notched; their bills are sharp and pointed, and without
indentations. They pass their lives at a great distance from land, and
do not approach the shore except for breeding purposes. To this
sub-order belong the Sea Swallows (_Sterna_), Scissors-bills or Skimmers
(_Rynchops_), the Sea Gulls (_Laridæ_), the Labbes (_Stercoraria_), the
Petrels (_Procellaria_), Albatross (_Diomedea_).
THE TERN (_Sterna hirundo_, Linn.).
ENGLISH SYNONYMS.--Common Tern: Selby, McGillivray, Morris. Greater
Tern: Montagu, Bewick, Pennant. Local names: Sea Swallow, Gull Teaser,
Tarney, Tarrock, Kippock, Scraye.
LATIN SYNONYMS.--_Sterna hirundo_: Pennant, Montagu, Bewick, Flemming,
Selby, Jenyns, Gould, Yarrell, Latham. _Sterna major_: Brisson. _Hirundo
marina_: Ray, Willoughby.
There are six species of Sterna, properly so called, described by
British naturalists; and six others, according to McGillivray, nearly
resembling them in form, colour, and habit. The true Sterna has the bill
straight, slender, compressed, and tapering; it is about the length of
the head, with the edge sharp, and the tip elongated and pointed; the
upper mandible armate; legs short, slender; anterior toes small;
membrane emarginate; wings long and pointed; tail forked. These birds
are remarkable for their buoyant, graceful, easy flight, and the soft,
loose texture of their plumage. Their prevailing colours are a pale
bluish grey or black, and white.
The Tern, or Sea Swallow, as it is commonly called, on account of its
long pointed wings and forked tail, appears to be, like the Swallow
properly so called, a perfect disregarder of rest. They may be seen
soaring in the air at a very great height, and then suddenly darting
down upon their prey, which their piercing sight has enabled them to
descry in the water. Often, too, they may be noticed skimming over the
surface of the waves with astonishing rapidity, and seizing in their
flight any fish which is imprudent enough to show itself. Their flight
over the sea seems incessant, and it is rarely they are seen swimming.
When they need rest, they seek some solitary, isolated rock in the
ocean. They congregate in flocks more or less numerous, and they
manifest so much attachment for individuals of their own species, that,
when one of them is wounded by the sportsman's gun, the others surround
it, full of grief and sympathy, nor will they leave it until all hope of
saving its life is at an end.
These birds in their flight give utterance to shrill and piercing calls,
which, when produced by numbers together, cause a deafening uproar in
the sky. These calls are raised with increased power when they are about
to undertake some longer flight than usual. But the time, above all
others, when their noise is most discordant and shrill is the breeding
season. "On going up to one of their breeding-places," says McGillivray,
"which may always be discovered from a distance, as some of the birds
will be seen hovering over it, one is sure to be met by several of them,
which hasten to remonstrate with the intruder by harsh cries and
threatened blows. As you draw nearer, more of them leave their nests;
and at length they are all on the wing, wheeling and bounding--now high
and now low--at times coming quite close, and increasing their cries,
which resemble the syllables 'cree-cree-cree-ae.'"
[Illustration: Fig. 106.--The Tern (_Sterna hirundo_, Linn.).]
Like the Land Swallows, these sea-birds arrive on our coasts in the
spring. They disperse themselves over our lakes and large ponds, where
they feed on any animal substances they meet with--either fresh or
putrefied--fish, mollusks, or insects. Montagu says they are found in
great abundance on the Sussex and Kentish coasts, particularly about
Winchelsea, and in the Romney marshes towards Dungeness. Mr. Selby found
them breeding in the Solway and in the Firth of Clyde. McGillivray met
with them in great numbers in South Uist and Long Island; and his
correspondents, Messrs. Bailie and Heddle, noted their annual arrival in
the Orkneys in May. "They arrive in straggling flocks in the beginning
of May," says McGillivray, "and soon betake themselves to their
breeding-places, which are sandy tracts, gravelly or pebbly ridges,
rocky ground, sometimes low, shelving rocks on the sea-shore; their
nests being bits of grass or fragments of sea-weed, placed in a mere
depression. In stormy weather they fly little, but shelter themselves by
resting on the shore. They go to roost very late in the evening; long
after sunset, they are still engaged in seeking their sustenance."
Terns always assemble in flocks on the sea-coast, on the margins of
lakes, in marshes, or wooded spots near the mouths of rivers, at their
breeding-time. Their nests are placed so near to one another, that the
hens sitting actually come in contact. They lay their eggs, to the
number of two or three, which hatch in twenty days. These eggs are
esteemed as a very delicate viand: in the United States a considerable
trade is carried on in them.
The Sea Swallow is found in all the regions both of the Old and New
World, Australia, and the islands of the Pacific.
The Tern (_Sterna hirundo_) is very common in France, on the shores of
the Atlantic, and in the Mediterranean.
THE LITTLE TERN (_Sterna minuta_, Linn.).
ENGLISH SYNONYMS.--Lesser Tern: Montagu, Selby. Lesser Sea Swallow,
Little Tern: McGillivray, Flemming.
LATIN SYNONYM.--_Sterna minuta_: Latham, Flemming, Selby, McGillivray,
Morris, Jenyns, Temminck.
FRENCH SYNONYMS.--_La Sterne Petite_: Figuier. _La Petite Hirondelle de
Mer_: Temminck.
This smallest of the Terns has many habits in common with the _Sterna
hirundo_. "In the elegance of its buoyant flight," says McGillivray, "as
it skims over the water or shoots along its way to and from its
breeding-place, the tiny creature is an object of admiration to every
lover of nature. You may see a pair coming up from a distance, flying at
the height of a few yards over the waves, their long wings winnowing the
air and impelling them on by starts as they wind their way in undulating
and graceful movements. Suddenly their flight is arrested over a large
pool left on the sands by the retreating tide. With quick beats of their
wings they hover almost stationary over the water, with downward-pointed
bills, intently searching for their prey beneath. One drops with
upraised wings, dips for a moment, and rises with a small fish in its
bill; the other is equally successful. Onward they proceed, now and then
emitting their shrill cry. Far ahead is seen a flock engaged in picking
up their prey, and onward the stragglers speed to join their kindred."
The Little Tern has the bill slightly longer than the head, and, like
the Common Tern, slender, nearly straight, much compressed, tapering,
and acute; the eyes and feet small; plumage soft and blended; wings
long, narrow, and pointed; tail long and deeply forked; upper part of
the head and nape black; neck, back, and wings light greyish blue; hind
part of the back and tail white; length to the end of the tail about ten
inches; wings twenty-one inches.
This species reaches our shores in the beginning of May, and settles
along the whole eastern and southern coast, from the Land's End to the
Orkneys, but is rare on the west coast. The Firth of Forth, the sands of
Barry, near Dundee, a place at the mouth of the Don, and another at the
Ythan, are noted as their haunts, as are the sands of Strathbeg Loch,
and the sands between Burghead and the mouth of the Findhorn. It is also
abundant on the sea-coasts of Holland and France, where it feeds on
fish-spawn and small winged insects.
The Noddy (_Sterna stolida_), which frequents rivers and the borders of
lakes, especially marshes, makes its nest among the reeds and water-lily
leaves: this is the species most plentiful in America. The Silver-winged
Tern (_Sterna leucoptera_) inhabits the bays and gulfs of the
Mediterranean, and is only an accidental visitor to the north of France.
The Arctic Tern (_Sterna arctica_) is a native of the Arctic Circle, and
regularly visits the sea-coast of the north of France. We may also
mention the Whiskered or Marsh Tern (_Sterna leucupareia_), the
Gull-billed Tern (_Sterna anglica_), the Roseate Tern (_Sterna
Dougalli_), the Sandwich Tern (_Sterna cautiaca_), and the Tschegruna,
or Caspian Tern (_Sterna caspica_), all of which either breed upon the
British coast, or are frequent visitors there, although they rarely
reach France.
THE SCISSORS-BILLS, OR SEA SKIMMERS (_Rynchops_, Linn.).
[Illustration: Fig. 107.--The Black Scissors-bill (_Rynchops nigra_).]
The Scissors-bills have received their name from the conformation of
their beaks, which are flattened laterally into two laminæ fitting one
on the other, forming two mandibles compressed into cutting blades, the
upper being one-third shorter than the lower. In order to pick up the
shrimps and small fishes on which they feed, these birds are obliged to
skim the surface of the water, dipping the lower mandible of their bill,
the upper mandible being kept open and clear of the water till aquatic
insects or other small fry have entered into the lower portion of
it.[25] The singular form of their bills is also of service to them in
opening such bivalve shell-fish as come in their way. They frequently
watch these mollusks, and when they notice that the shell of the latter
is slightly open, they plunge the lower mandible of their long bill into
it; they then break the ligament of the shell by beating it against the
rock. The tenement being thus destroyed, there is no obstacle to their
devouring the inhabitant.
[25] Catesby says: "These birds frequent near the sea-coasts of
Carolina. They fly close to the surface of the water, from which
they seem to receive somewhat of food."
The only remarkable species of this bird is the Black Scissors-bill
(_Rynchops nigra_), frequently called the Cut-water. It is about the
size of a Pigeon; its prevailing colour is white, top of the head and
shoulders black, with a white band on the wings. These birds are very
numerous in the West Indian seas. They fly with a slow motion, and, like
the Gulls and other sea-birds, they occasionally form such dense flocks
that the sky is actually darkened for the space of a league.
GULLS AND ALLIED SPECIES.
Gulls and their congeners include the well-known shore-birds generally
called Gulls, more especially the Skuas (_Lestris_), Gulls (_Larus_),
and Mews (_Gavia_). They are characterised by a light body, more or less
compact; neck of moderate length; head ovate; bill shorter than the
head, straight, compressed; convex ridge on upper mandible, nasal groove
long; lower mandible with the angle long and narrow; mouth moderate;
tongue fleshy; eyes small; legs generally short; tibia bare; tarsus
short, compressed; hind toe small; middle toe longest; fore toe moderate
in length and slender; connecting membrane full, margins only concave;
claws generally small, arcuate, acute, and more or less compressed.
These birds inhabit the sea-shore, along which they wander in search of
food; the larger species preying on fish, crustacea and mollusca, and
the carcasses of cetacea and other marine mammalia cast up by the sea.
They all pursue shoals of fish in the open sea, often to great distances
from land. Their plumage is full, soft, close, elastic, and well blended
on the back and wings; wings long, broad, and pointed; the tail, of
twelve feathers, rounded and forked.
The Sea Mews (_Gavia_) are connected with the Terns, yet still have some
characteristics of the Gulls. However, they are of smaller size than the
latter, have more slender forms, and their feet and bills are
comparatively feebler. We shall describe the Mews and Gulls under one
head, as they have the same generic characteristics, the only difference
between them being that of size. The name of Gull applies to those
species which are at least as large as Ducks; that of Mew to those which
are smaller.
The Gull (_Larus_) and the Mew are found in every country, on every
coast, out at sea, and sometimes even on fresh waters, lakes, and
rivers. These birds literally swarm on some coasts, where they devour
every kind of food they meet with. Fish, either fresh or stale; flesh,
either fresh or decomposed; worms; shell-fish--all are alike acceptable.
If these birds happen to notice the carcass of any animal, either
floating on the sea or cast up on the shore, it soon becomes their prey,
and is speedily devoured by these "Sea Vultures," as Buffon calls them.
Should one of them discover the remains of a dead whale, or other large
oceanic mammalia, it apprises the rest of the flock, and immediately
they all pour down upon their booty, uttering the most discordant cries.
They gorge themselves up to their very throats; but their stomachs soon
digest the rapidly-decomposing animal diet. They may also be observed in
search of other prey, skimming over the surface of the water, their keen
eyes anxiously scanning far and near for their most favourite food,
young fish.
During the breeding season they visit islands where they are sure to
find thousands of eggs as well as young birds. In spite of the piteous
shrieks of the parents and the plaintive cries of the young, the whole
colony is sacrificed to their gluttony; the eggs are sucked, and the
scarcely-hatched young ones are devoured. But, as they are always
cowards, whenever these sea-vagabonds notice the approach of a bird more
warlike than themselves, although, perhaps, much smaller, their only
endeavour is to hide themselves, or depart with all the celerity
which their long wings can give them. The mere sight of a Labbe
(_Stercoraria_) is quite sufficient to make them disgorge their food.
These birds, which are essentially water scavengers, are frequently very
much in want of food, especially during stormy weather. Nature in her
goodness, however, has well enabled them to endure hunger.
Sea Gulls and Sea Mews are found everywhere, but they are most numerous
on the flat and low sea-shores of the North, where the dead bodies of
whales and other large fish furnish them with abundant food. They prefer
building their nests on desert islands in the Polar seas, where they are
safe from man's intrusion. They lay two or three eggs in a hole
scratched in the sand, or in the cleft of a rock.
These birds are easily tamed, and soon take to domestic habits; but
their flesh, which is hard and tough as leather, is unfit for human
food. In order to render them eatable in cases of emergency, the
sailors, after having skinned them, hang them up by their feet, and
leave them exposed to the evening dew for two or three nights. By this
means a little of the disagreeable smell passed by their carcass is got
rid of.
[Illustration: Fig. 108.--Large White-winged Gull (_Larus glaucus_,
Yarrell).]
The most remarkable species of the Sea Gull are the following:--
The Large White-winged Gull, _Larus glaucus_ (Fig. 108), is all white
except its back, which is of a light bluish grey. It is most frequently
found towards the east of Europe, and is rare on the Atlantic coasts.
The Great Black-backed Gull, _Larus marinus_ (Fig. 109), is of a pure
white, with a black back. It is very common in northern regions, and
habitually visits the shores of the Atlantic to the north of France.
The Herring Gull (_Larus argentatus_, Yarrell), is white, with a blue
back. It is seen throughout the year on the coasts of the Mediterranean
and the Atlantic.
The only species of Sea Mew which it is necessary for us to describe
are:--
The White Sea Mew, or Senator (_Larus eburneus_),[26] which is found but
incidentally in the temperate regions of Europe. It is very common in
Greenland and Baffin's Bay. Its plumage is entirely white, tinted with
pink underneath; it has black feet and a bluish bill.
[26] Ivory Gull of Yarrell.
The Brown-masked Sea Mew (_Larus capistratus_)[27] has the top of its
head and throat of a light brown colour; the inside of the wings are
light grey; the rest of its body is white; and its bill and tarsi are of
a reddish-brown colour. This species is common in England.
[27] The Masked Gull of Yarrell.
[Illustration: Fig. 109.--Great Black-backed Gull (_Larus marinus_,
Yarrell).]
The Laughing Sea Mew (_Larus ridibundus_)[28] has its head black; its
neck, tail, and lower parts of a white hue. Its back and wings are
bluish grey, and its beak and feet vermilion red. This is the species
most easily tamed. It is called the Laughing Sea Mew on account of its
cry. It is widely spread all over Europe, and builds its nest on the
coast at the mouths of rivers. It is only a visitor in France and
Germany, but in Holland it is found a permanent resident.
[28] Black-headed Gull of Yarrell.
The Grey Sea Mew, _Larus canus_ (Fig. 110), is commonly called the Sea
Pigeon. Its plumage is of a beautiful white colour with the exception of
a grey back. When tempests threaten, this species disperses in flocks
over the inland districts. It is common in summer in the regions of the
Arctic Circle; in autumn and winter it is found on the sea-coasts of
temperate and southern Europe.
[Illustration: Fig. 110.--Grey Sea Mews (_Larus canus_, Yarrell).]
[Illustration: Fig. 111.--The Common Skua (_Lestris cataractes_,
Yarrell).]
The Skua, Labbe, or Dung-bird (_Stercoraria_, Vieillot), Fig. 111, is
remarkable for its stout bill, which is nearly cylindrical, and covered
with a membrane from the base as far as the nostrils; the upper mandible
is convex, hooked, and armed at the extremity with a crooked point,
which almost appears as if it was supplementary. These birds principally
frequent the sea-shore, but at the time of storms they venture further
inland. They fly very rapidly, even against the strongest wind. They
pursue the Sea Mews and the Terns most inveterately, and sometimes even
Boobies and Cormorants, their only aim being to deprive these birds of
the prey they have caught; for the Sea Mews and the Terns are their
purveyors. Incessantly do they pursue, harass, and beat these species
until they have forced them to disgorge and drop their booty: before the
fish falls into the sea it is caught by the active persecutors. This
singular habit has given rise to the belief that Skuas feed upon the
excrement of the Sea Mew, and to this they owe their name of Dung-birds.
In some countries, as the Shetland Islands, these birds are held in
veneration. The care and protection of the sheep are almost entirely
intrusted to them, owing to their possessing an inveterate hatred
against Eagles; for as soon as the monarch of the air appears in view,
three or four of them combine together to give him battle. They never
attack him in front, but harass him pitilessly until his strength is so
reduced that they can completely conquer him, or at least force him to
retreat. In recompense for these services, the inhabitants are in the
habit of throwing to the Skuas the refuse of their fisheries.
These birds almost always live in solitude, so that they may be more
readily able to procure their food, which consists of fish, mollusks,
eggs, young sea-birds, and small mammals. They inhabit the Arctic
regions of Europe and America, and make their nests in the heather; they
lay from two to four eggs, which are sat upon by the male and female
birds alternately. They are courageous enough to defend their young
brood against any kind of animal, and even against man.
There are four European species: the Parasite Skua (_Lestris
parasiticus_), which inhabits Greenland, Newfoundland, and Spitzbergen,
and visits tolerably often our Atlantic coasts; Richardson's Skua
(_Lestris Richardsonii_), which is very plentiful in Sweden, Norway,
Lapland, and North America; the Pomerine Skua (_Lestris pomarinus_),
which is very common in Newfoundland, Iceland, and the Feroë Islands;
the Common Skua (_Lestris cataractes_), commonly called the Brown
Stoëland.
The PETRELS (_Procellaria_, Linn.) are characterised by a gibbous beak,
the extremity of which is hooked, and seems made all in one piece, and
as if jointed on to the rest of the upper mandible. These birds never
dive, and rarely swim; but in their rapid flight they skim over the
waves, and actually appear to walk upon the waters. To this habit they
owe the name of Petrel, which simply means "Little Peter," in allusion
to the miracle of St. Peter, who walked upon the restless waters of the
Lake of Genesareth.
The family of the Petrels contains several species of very different
appearance. They traverse immense distances in their powerful and rapid
flight, although they nearly always keep close to the water. They never
draw near to the coast except to build their nests, for which purpose
they select a little crevice in some steep rock, in which they deposit a
large white egg. While sitting upon it, they keep up a low and continual
noise, like that of a spinning-wheel.
[Illustration: Fig. 112.--The Blue Petrel (_Procellaria cærulea_,
Gmelin).]
In general, Petrels are not of a very engaging aspect; but they are an
invaluable resource to the poor people who inhabit the islands in the
frigid seas, who do not object to eat the flesh of these birds, although
they principally value them for their warm down and the oil which can be
extracted from their stomachs. The quantity of oil which these birds
contain is so large that it is used as an article of diet. In the Feroë
Islands candles are made from this oleaginous matter. Often, indeed, the
islanders make the bird itself serve as a candle to illuminate their
gloomy vigils. This is performed by passing a wick through the body of
the bird when just killed.
These birds appear to love the tempest; they run over the roughest
waves, and seem as if they were enjoying themselves as they pass up and
down the declivities of the mountains of foam. When the storm is too
violent for them, they take refuge upon the nearest rocks, or even on
the yards of a passing ship. Sailors, who are confessedly simple and
superstitious, take these birds for evil spirits, birds of the devil,
harbingers of storms, and so forth, simply because they more frequently
see them during a storm. Their black plumage tends to confirm the sailor
in his superstition.
When the vessels sent to the whale fishery have passed the Shetland
Islands, and entered the northern seas, which are almost always very
rough, the Petrels are seen flying about amidst the eddies of foam which
are formed by the movement of the ship. They keep in attendance until
something is thrown overboard, for they are extremely voracious, and
especially fond of fat, particularly that of the whale. When the
fishermen begin to cut up a whale, the Petrels flock together to the
number of several thousands. They are not afraid to approach within
reach, so that they may be taken or killed with a blow from a boat-hook.
Their plumage is so close, that shot fired at them, except at close
range, will not penetrate.
Petrels walk on land with much difficulty. When they require rest in the
open sea, with their heads placed under their wings, they sleep on the
water, allowing themselves to be borne about at the mercy of the wind.
The most remarkable species are--the Giant Petrel (_Procellaria
gigantea_), commonly called the Bone-breaker, which inhabits the tract
of ocean between Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope; the Chequered
Petrel (_P. capensis_), commonly called the Chequered Pintado, which is
a native of the southern seas; the Fulmar Petrel (_P. glacialis_), which
inhabits the Arctic seas; the Stormy Petrel (_P. pelagica_), commonly
called the Storm-bird, which frequents the seas of Europe, and after a
hurricane appears on the northern coasts of France; the Forster or Blue
Petrel (_P. Forsteri_ or _cærulea_), Fig. 112, commonly called the Blue
Petrel, which inhabits the Antarctic seas.
Under the name of Puffins those species of Petrels are included which
have bills as long, and sometimes longer, than their heads, and their
nostrils in two distinct tubes. Among these are the Grey Puffin
(_Puffinus cinereus_), which is very common in the Mediterranean, and
builds its nest in Corsica; the English Puffin (_Puffinus anglorum_),
which inhabits the northern regions of our hemisphere; the Brown Puffin
(_Procellaria æquinoctialis_), which inhabits the Southern Ocean, and is
frequently met with at the Cape.
[Illustration: Fig. 113.--The Common Albatross (_Diomedea exulans_,
Linn.).]
The ALBATROSS[29] is the largest and most bulky of all the birds which
fly over the surface of the sea. It belongs principally to the southern
hemisphere. The sailors know it under the names of Cape Sheep and
Man-of-war, which they give it on account of its enormous size. Its
extended wings measure as much as five mètres across.[30] Its plumage
is generally white, with the exception of a dark back. Courage is not
measured by size. This rule holds good in these birds, for,
notwithstanding their wonderful strength and their large, strong, sharp,
and hooked bills, they exhibit the most unaccountable cowardice. Even a
poor weak Sea Mew will attack an Albatross, and endeavour to tear its
stomach open. The pusillanimous Albatross can find no better means of
getting rid of his enemy than by plunging into the water. Although they
are most gluttonous in taste, they prefer to fly away rather than
contend for their food. This consists of small marine animals, mollusks,
mucilaginous zoophytes, and the eggs and spawn of fish. They will even
swallow large fish without tearing them to pieces. When they are
completely gorged, and the fish which they have seized is too large to
swallow whole, they may be seen with part of it hanging outside their
bill, until the first half of their prey is digested. The same is done,
as is well known, by several kinds of Serpents. When thus embarrassed,
the Albatross has only one mode of escape if it happens to be pursued;
namely, by disgorging the food with which its stomach is overloaded.
[29] From the Portuguese word _Alcatraz_, applied by the early
navigators of that From the Portuguese word _Alcatraz_, applied
by the early navigators of that nation to Cormorants and large
sea-birds.--ED.
[30] The weight of this bird much varies. A specimen in the
Leverian Museum measured thirteen feet from the tip of one wing to
the tip of the other. One shot off the Cape of Good Hope was said
to be seventeen and a half feet.--ED.
Gifted as they are with an extraordinary power of flight, these birds
venture out to enormous distances from all land, more especially in
stormy weather. They seem to delight in the warring of the elements.
When overcome with fatigue, they take repose on the surface of the sea,
placing their heads under their wings. When in this position they are
very easy to capture: in order to do this, the sailors have only to
approach silently, and knock them down with a boat-hook or spear them
with a harpoon.
Navigators have found opportunities of observing these birds in the
Polar regions, where there is no night during half the year. They see
the same flocks hovering around their vessel during many successive days
without exhibiting the least signs of fatigue, or the slightest
relaxation in their strength. The peculiarity in their mode of flight is
that, whether they are ascending or descending, they seem to glide, for
they flap their wings but seldom.
To follow in the wake of some passing ship, probably because the
agitation of the waves brings to the surface the small fry of marine
animals which are their principal food, appears to delight them. They
also pounce upon anything that falls overboard, even though it should be
a man. On one occasion a sailor fell into the sea from a French vessel,
and could not be immediately rescued because there was no boat in a fit
state to be lowered. Before such could take place, a flock of
Albatrosses which followed in the ship's wake pounced upon the
unfortunate man, and commenced to peck his head and arms. Being unable
to buffet both with the sea and the enemies which surrounded him, the
man perished under the very eyes of his comrades.
The Albatrosses and Petrels may be said to be the Vultures of the ocean.
They may also be said to be its scavengers, for they cleanse the sea of
all the putrefied animal substances which float on its surface.
At the breeding season, which varies according to the hemisphere
inhabited by them, the Albatrosses arrive at their favourite haunts,
generally in an exhausted state; but, however thin they may be, they
soon grow fat upon the abundant supplies of food which they find in the
vicinity. In the end of September, to build their nests, they go in
immense numbers to the island of Tristan d'Acunha, in the South Atlantic
Ocean. Their nests, which are about three feet in height, are formed of
mud. Their flesh is very hard, and can only be rendered eatable by
laying it in salt for a long time, and afterwards boiling it, flavouring
it with some piquant sauce. Nevertheless sailors, as well as the
inhabitants of the desolate southern regions, use it, but only in the
absence of better food.
The most remarkable species are--the Common Albatross (_Diomedea
exulans_), which frequents the seas washing the south of Africa; the
Black-browed Albatross (_D. melanophrys_), which also inhabits the seas
round the Cape of Good Hope; the Brown Albatross (_D. fuliginosa_); the
Yellow and Black-beaked Albatross (_D. chlororinches_), which, like the
preceding species, inhabits the seas of the South Pole.[31]
[31] Captain Cook mentions a variety frequently captured by the
inhabitants of Kamtschatka and the Kurile Islands.