Milford chronicle., 1896-07-24

Hunters Have q Hard Time Getting spec
tnens from the Albatross.

Hunters Have q lard Time Getting spec
tmens from the Albatross.
Some time ago a small party Of eS-
nIorois landed on one of the apparent
" barren islands just on the borders OF
the Antarctic regions and found it ie-
hahited by remarkable colony of birds
that ranged from Large Mother Carey
like birds to penguins of all kinds and
degrees. The island was fairly covered
with the feathered inhabitants, and as
the boat ran onto rock that apparently
afforded a landing the birds instead of
moving away, seemed determined TO
resent the intrusion and stood ther
ground, viciously attacking the men,
who, though they knocked the birds
aside with clubs and oars, made no APP
prcciable inroad on their numbers.
The partv then formed compact body,
and. armed with boathooks to push the
shrieISing throng aside, moved up what
was apparently a street, here and there
dotted with singular stool-like objects
about three feet in width, larger at the
top. These were the nests Of the all
batross, and, as the men were especially
DESTROYS Of obtaining a set of the eggs,
they observed the nests very carefully,
but in every instance the bird when
approached shufiled clumsily away and
no eggs were found, though the birds
were supposed to be sitting upon them.
Finally a nest was found containingan
egg, but Just as the men drew near the
bird alighted and took her place upon
it, ewing them with suspicion and utter
ing curious, half-hissing sound. They
watched her for a few moments and
then forced her from the nest, when, to
their amazement, the egg had been
swallowed up. The nest was examined
closely and finally torn apart, the men
thinking that possibly the egg might
have slipped into it in some mysterious
way. but without success. Finally one
Of the party attempted to catch an al
batross, and while he was following
the bird in a ludicrous chase over the
stubble an egg suddenly appeared
dropped by the cunning bird, which had
all the time beea carrying it, .Iot under
her wing, as she is supposed to do at sea,
bv superstitious sailors. but in pc.
culiar sack in the skin provided by nat
ure for this very purpose.
The albatross is famed for its powers
of flight, following vessels hundreds OF
miles, yet when nesting It apparently
forgets that it has wings, as it can be
handled and pushed about in the nest
making no attempt to f. or move unless
driven away by blows. This may be
due to the fact that the egg is held in
the curious sack and the bird instinct
lively knows that it cannot fly off with
it, so resists. This sly bird is called the
mollymauk, and its cousin, the great
albatross, has a similar habit, the egg
which is five inches in length, almost
as large as that of a swan, being held
in a perfect incnbating pouch.
On Marion island the explorers found
the great hing penguin, bird which
stands half as high as a man, with its
bill pointing directly upward instead
of out, as with other birds. AS they
landed and approached the singular
creatures, which had been standing
about, they hoped away slowly, but
not an egg could be found, set OF
which was the object of the visit. The
birds had a peculiar movement. In.
stead of walking and moving one foot
after the other, or alternately, they
held them closely together and hoped
This excited the laughter of the men,
who finally toppled bird over, where
upon the much-desired egg rolled out
upon the sand. The king penguin was
also an egg carrier, not only holding il
while standing still, but carrying the
big egg about with it by placing it in
a pouch for the purpose, holding it in
with the broad webbed feet that art
kept closely together. This explained
the curious hopping motion of the
birds, as they could not move their feet
without dropping the egg, but the mo
ment it was forced to give up the prize
it ran away. using ooth feet after the
manner of ordinary birds.
This remarkable habit does away
with the necessity of a nest, as the bird
carries its egg with it as it moves about
In these instances the birds rarely
transport the egg to a great distance
If undisturbed they probably remair
about a certain locality, but there are
birds which have been known to trans
port their eggs from one place to an.
other, literally flying away with them
When Audubon first heard this story
of the nighthaw1 called Chuckwill'
widow he thought it story of the ne
groes. Some insisted that the bird car
ried the egg away under its wing, Others
that it rolled the egg over the ground
To determine the truth Audubon con.
cealed himself in the woods near nest
having first handled the eggs, and wait
ed to see what the old bird would do
The first bird to arrive appeared very
detected at the discovery that the secret
home had been found, rufIling up its
feathers and uttering moaning cry
Just audible to the listener. Then the
mate arrived, and after various move.
ments indicative of alarm each bird
took an egg in its capacious mouth and
flew softly away.
lie Valiant, the French naturalist, oh.
served the collared goatsucker of the
Cape of Good Hope carrying off its eggs
in the same manner-a comparatively
easy feat, as the mouth of all these birds
is very capacious, veritable trap when
the jaws are opened for the various in
sects upon which they feed in the dusk
between day and night. Many birds
carry their young short distances, as
the woodcock, which has been seer
bearing Off little one between its
claws, while it is well known that the
wood duck carries its youngstown from
the nest in trees to water, using her bill
for the purpose Philadelphia Times
LAST DRINK OF A GIANT.
Il Was Only u Barrel OF Ale, But It
Killed Him.
The largest and smallest skeletons of