New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1896-07-08
CARRY E IR EGGS.


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Ths Nest OF fhe Albssrosss md ssorne 9th
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| Some time ago small party Of ex-
plorers landed on one Of the apparently
barren islands Just on the borders Of the
antarctic regions and found it inhabited
by remarkable colony Of birds that
ranged from large Mother Carey like
birds to penguins Of all kinds and de.
grees. The island was fairly covered
with the feathered inhabitants, and, as
the boat ran on to rock that apparently
afforded q landing. the birds. instead az
moving away, seemed determined to
resent the intrusion and stood their
ground, vieiously attacking the men,
who. though they knocked the birds
aside with clubs and oars, made no ap-
preciable inroad upon their numbers.
The party then formed a compact
body, and, armed with boathooks to
push the shrieking throng aside, moved
up what apparently was a street here
and there dotted with singular stool
like objects about 8 feet in width,
larger at the top These were the nests
of the albatross, and, as the men were
especially DESTROYS of obtaining set of
eggs, they observed the nests very care
fully, but in every instance the bird
when approached shufffed clumsily
away, and no eggs were found, though
the birds We're supposed to be sitting
upon them.
Finally nest was found containing
an egg, but just as the men drew near
the bird alighted and took her place
upon it, eying them with suspicion and
uttering a curious half kissing sound.
They watched her for a few moments
and then forced her from the nest, when,
to their amazement, the egg had disap-
peared as completely as though it had
been swallowed up. The nest was ex-
amined closely and finally torn apart,
the men thinking that possibly the egg
might have slipped into it in some mys-
terious way, but without success.
One of the party attempted to catch
an albatross, and while he was follow
ing the bird in a ludicrous chase over
the stubble an egg suddenly appeared,
dropped by the running bird, which had
all the time been carrying it, not under
her wing, as she is supposed to do at sea
by superstitious sailors, but in pecul-
lar sack in the skin provided by nature
for this very purpose.
The albatross is famed for it's power
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 fly or move un-
less driven away by blows. This may
be due to the fact that the egg is held
in the curious sack. and the bird in
stinctively knows that it cannot fly off
with it; SO it resists.
This sly bird is called the molly
mauk. And it's cousin, the great alba
tross, has similar habit, the egg.
which is five inches in length, almost
as large as that Of a swan, being held
in a perfect incubating pouch. 49,
On Marion island the explorers found
the great king penguin-a bird which
stands half as high as man, with it's
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, a set of which was the
object of the visit. ~.
The birds had a peculiar movement.
Instead of walking and moving one foot
after the other, or alternately they
held them close together and hoped.
This excited the laughter of the men.
who finally toppled bird over, where
upon the egg rolled out upon the sand.
The king penguin was also an egg
carrier, not only holding it while stand
ing still, but carrying the big egg about
with it by placing it in pouch for the
purpose, holding it in with the broad