Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1885-03-19
THE aLRfTRDSS.
The Bird That Follows the south Sea yoyager
L rIa.L orI

The Bird That Follows the south Sea voyager,
For Good Luck or Ill.
James s. Whitman in American. .'
If there was anything that gave a delight
full relief to the monotony of our three
months sea voyagefrom Boston to Valparaiso,
it was the albatross. He is one OF the sailors
most constant visitors in the Southern seas.
And what an imposing visitor, indeed He
first came 10 rs ~ If shot from the clouds,
and in a sudden we saw crcling round us a
great majestic bird, with solemn-looking
and heavy-beaked head of gray, alarge white
BODY charmingly balanced by dark -colOred
wings, that extended from tip to tip the
length of ones Outstretched hands or more,
with a flight swift, easy and graceful above
that ofanyhther bird. Now again, we saw him
gliding across the vessels wake, and then
sweeping in long wave-like curves oyer the
ocean as far rs the eye ecouldl reach SOME OF
the sailors called him the "man-o-war Bird
and if this was to indicate his strength in
moving through the air or battling with the
winds, ii was most fitting epithet. As he
flew he seemed to show no muscular eAer-
ton whatever Hour after hour, day after
day, with head and wings perfectly notion
less, we saw him wheeling and gliding as if
he had struck II bargain with the winds to
carry him which way he liked. An inclina-
came almost vertical, acted like rudder,
and at the same time seemed TO give him re-
newed impetus. And thus he went, sway
ing slowly first 10 this side then TO that, his
Keen eve peerinS over the surface with a
glance that threw contempt upon tire other
birds of oftempest-loNing kind.
IL was during the month of July that our
good little ship was fighting her way through
the stormy waters about cape Horn. Ihe
aibatrosses had left their hiding grounds and
were joining the groups OF cape pigeons,
stormy petrels, aud other birds that were al
ready keeping his company. These were all
indeed rayGnous lot. They wonld eat al
most anything, but pork was dellcacy that
they would risk their lives for No sooner
did little morSel Of the sayory food, trailed
from "A hook over the stern, catch the eye oi
the albairOss, than he would hover wistfully
over it, and then throwing out his webbed
feet, which seemed to act like an anchor, he
would suddenly drop down and take the
fatal bite Now and then, however, wise
old bird would take his position, with all the
dignity of a swan, close by the balt, anu
glance at us and about him, as if he meant
us to understand that 'you can't fool me.
And thus he would sit until lost in sight
The first albatross we caught was power
ful bird of about eighteen pounds weight
1t took all mans strength 10 pun nm
aboard. resisting, as he did, with his huge
wings and defending himself with his for
midable beak. When once upon deck, he was
the clumsiest and most helpless creature i'm
aginable. He had not space enough 70 get tht
NECESSARY momentum to send him INTO thu
air Even i'm the water, he had 10 run som'
distance along the surface, padding with IN
feet aud beating the air with his wings, be
fore he could rise. Our first mate, a dare
ING to do some doughiy deed. The albatros
apparently gave him just the opportunity III
wanted We had got fairly outOf Cape Hori
weather. and We're enjoying day of com
parative calm. The mate stood forward,
nanl Nlutah