The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-07-07

low triangle, attached to a hundred
yards of stout line. and kept afioat by
a good sized piece of cork. The sides of
the metal frame are then covered with
bits of fat pork, the hard skin of which
is securely bound therto; the bait is
thrown astern, and the line Is slowly
paid out. Presently a Great AlbatroSS
swoops through the air, impelled by GU
riosity to investigate the nature of the
floating pork. 1t settles before the
dainty morsel of food, numbers of birds
follow suit each one made bold by COM
petition, and then the sport begins. At
this moment additional line must be
given in order to compensate for the
progression of the ship, thus enabling
the bird to seize the desired food With
a sudden rush the supreme effort is
made. Once or twice the attempt proves
Intellectual, but, rendered bold by greed
mess a final grab finds the curved bill
securely wedged inside the apex of the
triangle, as the fierce tugs on the line
quickly indicate. Steadily the haul is
made hand over hand, until an alba
tross is bodily lifted on to the poop
in an absolutely uninjured condition
A slackened line enables the bird to
escape, and if scattered wits permitted
such an effort sudden flight would also
obtain release. The other birds inva-
riably commence to attack a captured
comrade, a steady pull being required,
even if the line does cut your hands, to
save it from its friends.
Once safely on deck. the mandibles are
tied together, for otherwise the bird
throws up an oily fluid a disagreeable
habit possessed by all the tribe Subject
to this precaution, it may wander gravely
around to survey the new horizon of life.
The large eyes gaze with a truly pathetic
fear It is a Strange spectacle to witness
the inquisitive bird solemnly waddle to
man beings around. True. it objects slight
~ to the process of measurement. peck
tie box On the ear soon induces submis-
sion as the dimensions are rapd1iy noted,
tionately in the arms of the second officer
The Specimen happens to be small one,
but the wing expansion from tip to tip
is no less than ten feet; the extreme
length of the body is three feet six
inches, and the formidable bill measures
upward of four inches Every thing about
the Great Wandering AlbatroSs ID. exu-
1ans) is vast-the wings are enormous; the
flight is reckoned by the thousand miles
and its very nest may be found within the
extinct crater on the adjacent island OF
Tristan da Cunha-7.000 feet above the
sea level. The plumage varies greatly on
different specimens and at different sea-
sons; young ones, like our friend under
pearance. The bill has a rosy ingee at
the base of the mandible. passing into
horn color at the tip of the curve of the
culmen. The head, neck and body, to-
gether with the breasts. are principally
iings of black The wings are brown
above and white underneath, tipped above
acter of the Great Albatross. The tail is
chiefly white, relieved by blotches of
black bar edging the white coverts. The
legs, feet and toes have a peculiar blush
gray, with a suspicion Of liyid pini27iis ;h
black pupils are bordered with green. I
found eleven feet six inches to be the
gigantic specimen in the Sydney Museum
extends seventeen feet six INCHES, with a
bill six inches long. All sailors are Ia
miiiar with the great Wandering Alba
tross in its varying plumage. While the
young and even second year birds pos
sess every variety of brown coloratlon,
the really mature specimens-especially
round the Horn-are nearly pure white,
with the black tips above and below. Most
of the other species are hopelessly con-
fused by sailors under the general term
''mollymauk'' "a word spelled in divers
ways), and it took me many weeks to dis
tfneIlish the different kinds.