Morris tribune., 1880-07-01
Curious Facts About the Alabatross

No passenger to southern lands can
have failed to note the extraordinary
powers of flight of this magnificent bird,
and the wonderful ease with which it
sweeps for some minutes together
through the air ON expanded, notion
less pinions, rising and falling slightly,
and taking advantage of the gravity of
its own body and the angle at which the
wind strikes its feathers, fails to prolone
the course of its fight with the least
possible effort. Seldom, except in calm
weather, may it be seen to alight upon
the water, from which it arises with
difficulty, running for some distance
along the surface. The ends of the
wings clear of the water it turns toward
the breeze, and rises into the air in
gentle curve, exactly in the same man.
ner as paper kite. That the alabatross
follows a ship for many days in success
sion, sleeping at night upon the water,
and coming up with her in the morning,
there can be no doubt. We have watched
them for several consecutive evenings
during fine weather, in the latitude of
the trade-winds, settling down on the
water at shutdown, and preening their
feathers, until they became mere specks
in the field of the telescope; but they
were with us again in the morning soon
after sunrise; some strangers among
them perhaps, but several which, from
some popularity of marking, we knew
to be our companions of the day before.
In one instance, conspicuous mark had
been made by pistol-bullet in the wing
of an old brown-headed and curiously
pied bird, by which he could be iden-
titled beyond doubt. The second or
s~l so,1,k no. ri, ~
leaving a clearly defined gap in the wing
eye; and this bird followed us for three
days after having been fired at, though
we had been sailing an average of nearly
eight knots an hour. One of the most
striking examples of their endurance
on the wing, however, is the fact, which
we have more than once observed, that
the same birds which had been unwea-
riedly with us in the day, accompanied
us throughout the whole of the succeed
ing night as could be easily verified by the
| light ofthe moon. 1t is not an uncommon
practice with passengers to endeavor to
catch these noble birds by bait fastened
to hook and buoyed with corks. That
such cruel practice should ever be toll
Grated even ''to relieve the monotony
of voyage" is to us inconceivable, and
can only be accounted for as the last re-
source of brutally morbid fancy. The
| alabatross is essentially the scavenger of
the ocean, and we doubt whether it
makes any attempt to capture living fish
unless when very hungry, for we have
seen fying-fsh rising in quantities while
| the alabatrosses made no attempt to
| catch them. That the nautilus is some
times eaten is evident, for we have taken
| it from the stomach but the chief food
is dead fish and other refuse. In the
| South Atlantic we passed the dead body
| of a small VIII ale, On and around which
were at least hundred of these birds,
either gorged or gorging themselves with
the blubber; and guns discharged at
them failed to induce many of them to
take wing. We had on one occasion an
opportunity of observing how rapidly
these birds collect about carcass. Like
vultures or ravens, when an animal dies
they discover it very speedily, and flock
to the scene of the banquet. On hot,
still evening in the South Atlantic a
horse died, and when cast overheard
next morning, the gases already formed
by decomposition, enabled it to float
The few alabatroSSes in our company
Immediately settled down upon it; but
in less than hour we could see through
the telescope great cloud of the birds
on the sea and lowering around the un.
expected prize, the almost entire absence
of wind having kept us within two OF
three miles of the spot. 1t may be that
the usually white plumage enables
stragglers, far out of human ken, to
see their fellows gathering in the neigh.
borhood of food; others again from still
more remote distances may see them
and SO on; until stragglers over hun.
dreds of miles of space may be gathered
to one common rendezvous. The greater
part of the year is passed by them at 9
distance from land but they flock tt
barren and almost inaccessible rocks tt
breed. There the female lays her one
dirty-white egg in slight depression
upon the bare earth, the sitters being
frequently SO close together that it is diff
fcult to walk without touching them
They are totally indifferent to the pres
ence of man, and merely indicate theil
resent of his intrusion into their nursery
by swapping at him as he passes. Thu
parents share the labor of incubation
and rearing the young, and when this il
over, they all go Stewards together, anC
silence and solitude once more reign
where all had lately been clamorous anC
busy life.