The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-02-12
CARRY THEIR EGGS.
LARGE BIRDS DISCOVERED BY Ex-
PLORERS THAT DO THIS.
The Nest of the Albatross and Some 9th
ers Is Where They Sit bowman Island
rience of Audubon.

barren islands just on the borders of the
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 landing, the birds, instead of
moving away, seemed determined to
resent the intrusion and stood their
ground, viciously attacking the men,
who, though they knocked the birds
aside with clubs and oars, made no APP
preciable inroad upon their numbers
The party then formed compact |
body, and, armed with boathooks to
push the shrieking throng aside, moved |
up what apparently was street here |
and there dotted with singular stool |
like objects about 8 feet in width, |
of the albatross, and as the men were
especially DESTROYS of obtaining a set Of
eggs, they observed the nests very care
fully, but in every instance the bird
when approached shuffied clumsily
away, and no eggs were found, though
the birds were 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 curious half kissing sound.
They watched her for 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 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 its 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
| i'm the curious sack and the bird in
| stinctively knows that it cannot fly Off
! with it; SO il resists.
This sly bird is called the molly
mauk. And its cousin, the great alba
tross, has similar habit, the egg,
which is five inches in length, almost
as large as that of swan, being held
in perfect incubating pouch.
On Marion island the explorers found
the great king penguin--a bird which
stands half as high rs a 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, set of which was the
object of the visit.
The birds had peculiar movement.
Instead of walking and moving one foo'
after the other, or alternately. they
held them close together and hoped,
This excited the laughter of the men,
who finally toppled a 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 abou
with it by placing it i'll pouch for thu
purpose, holding it in with the broad
webbed feet that are kept closely to
pether. This explained the curious hop
ming motion of the birds, as they coult
not move their feet without droppin,
the egg, but the moment one was force'
to give up the prize it ran away, usin,
both feet, like ordinary birds. .
This remarkable habit does away Wit
the necessity of q nest, az the bird Car
ries its egg with it as it moves about
Tn these instances the birds rarely trans
port the egg to great distance. II un
disturbed, they probably remain about
certain locality, but there are bro
which have been known to transpor
their eggs from one place to another
literally flying away with them. Whe
Audubon first heard this story OF tn
nighthawk, called Chuck Wills widow
he thought it story OF the negroes
Some insisted that the bird carried tn
egg away under its wing; others that
rolled the egg over the ground. TO &c
termine the truth Audubon conceale
himself in the woods under nest, hay
ing first handled the eggs, and waite
TO see what the old bird would do. In
first bird to arrive appeared very az
iected at the discovery that the secre
home had been found, ruffiing up II
feathers and uttering moaning CT
inst audible to the listener. Then u
mate arrived, and, after various mov'
D ments indicative of alarm, each pl'
! took an egg in its capacious mouth an
flew softly away.
Lie valiant, the French naturails
observed the collared goatsucker OF u
. Cane of Good Hope carrying OIL It's egs
,, i'm the same manner-a comparative