NATURE NOTES

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 110, 11 May 1935, Page 17

NATURE NOTES

VISITORS TO HAEBOIJB,

THEALBOTOSS.

(By R. H. D. Stidolph, E.A.OTJO

An interesting visitor to Wellington Harbour on rare occasions is- tjie, albatross. Although this. ocean .jwanderer seldom approaches land exceptiduring the breeding t season,:. now: 'and again a visitor may ..be. seen.quite" close' to the wharves in .Wellington^,-.. About twenty species of albatrosses, and mollymawks are known $6. science, nine: 'or ten; occurring . ia-New. Zealand waters.;^; One of the best-known species, aptly- named the wandering albatross; has a; white plumage,, with' the back, transversely', pencilled l. witii black and'the g^ill feathers,al£b.;t>lack. The:bill; legs, and..feet; ari» ~pi^£ flesh colour." The: young '-'birds are'i.chocolate 'br'6wn, r with' -a white/-face, ■ the under-wing ;; covert^, l!a)idL ;uiailariea being white. ' This /species^ breeds on Adams .Island, •in the. Auckfind' group, and, "at;tii?'An£ipQd6S;",;Jj;; apparently takes.three" Vajj'/foilr; yeas yto^'attain the adtdt:. plu?nage^:iT6§'%fte^t?Jfe'' de-. scribed '9s.an' open \ 'rcfeCilar^striicture made-.of- .soil, *gr^s,f.Jßtc.,'...var^ij|ig^ in height from a few ihctiesi to..'Sbout two feet, with a shallow egg cavity,-about a foot in diameter. The single; egg is dull white, with.-browijish'; markings on the larger, end!.'..!The:'egg is' nearly five inches in, length, and. three finches in breadth. "'....' .'■■'■.'.,. ' ' It is the wandering albatross that pays occasional visits to,the.harbour, although it would not be surprising if other species were also tp'^,-be; seen, inside, the Heads.: The,.principal food of the various kinds of albatrosses i» cuttle-fish. Its food is securedsby: swimming up to its prey, Ihe-albatross,never pouncing suddenly, after..th'einanner of certain other birds, on vanyjthing: floating on the surface of the water. jVlany: ocean travellers rhave a V notion that the albatross .sleeps pn : ,the ; :wing,, as when following a ship, the' same;birds. are in attendance for .many^r days in succession. Its: habits,. •hpvi'ey^r,1 are quite diurnal both? on: sea -and lapd. it spends the night on,the;;jyatef. The adult birds, upon,,returrjing* to, the breeding: grounds; :repair*. -to tlieir. old nest and eject-the-young pn^',:which has remained in, .the nest ~ siiice "the previous autumn!. The young:| birds are- said not. to ,igo ; far ■-from' 'land until the following : year,': when they accompany the adult birds to sea. . The late Professor Hutton^Was one of New Zealand's, most able naturalists and he wrote a splendid.account of how; the albatross,'alights, on the water and takes to the awing again." "Suddenly," he said, "he: sees -something floating on the water, and prepares to. alight; but" how .changed he now is from" the noble'bird-but' -.a moment ;before, \ all grace-,and syrhmetry. He raises; his- wings, ibis: head goes back and his back goes zn;idown drop two enormous webbed- feet, straws died out to their full«xtentv'and withi a hoarse croaki'"between theory of a raven and that of a. sheep,, he falls •souse' into the water.; .HereJ-he i» at home again, breasting the-wayes like a cork. "Presently he stretches out his neck- and with great exertion'of his wings runs along the top ;of the water for seventy or eighty-yards,-until, at last, having/got sufficient impetus, he tucks up his legs,, and is once more fairly launched in the air."^ ■'- ■:'■'?'"■*-, •■ . : -:" •''■■".i v". i. ■ ■■- .':"T;'-?.i"v'' ■'■'••«■■ .^'ht-- - ■-'■-••. ' •.Prqfwso^^^lfey?,stl^| Mfy■' the' jrnjifces-thet«tin«st:jiie -of the momentum:gained .by,a feW-powerful strokes of. tiie wingsi taking fail .possible advantage of the wind and- progressing, largely by a: glidijig;Vmovement ,Still; however, he '^dds. it seems to move-" its. .wings .mpre frequenOy than is igenei^^'^-sup'posed. The albatross,."he;^ass^r^,"ort^i, has the appearance^ of soaring'fbr'io'ng'periods after' a ship without flapping' its 'wings at. all, but if^the bird is closeifc? watched very short': lSiit extremely':'qiiick motions of the wingsi may' be detected. The appearance is rather as; if'the bird dropped a ; yery r short •: distance and rose again. The mbvernents .cannot be seen at all unless the'; bird" inexactly on a level with Ihe eye. However, the flight otth% alteatrttssi hasfexcited the admiration and wonder "of ' all ocean voyagers. The span.of the wing varies from ..ten to twelveVfefet, possibly in some cases «p:t6'fourts4i feet. The average-weight of: the\;biSd is only about .seventeen: pounds.> ;;.- . ■• Besides the.- wandering J, .albatross, ipther^species of: this; family -'inhabiting New Zealand waters^ include the royal albatross, a. bird much like the' wandering albaixossiin appearance, but the; upper; back is Sevoid of thevflne transverse pjbcfc J|aes''and? the lesser wing coverts are, motUea with grey. This ibird breeds ;;oh', Campbell Island arid on Endefly "Mantf'of the Auckland group. -Tiie -black-browed mollymawk—in appearance- somewhat like a ' large- edition *of the black-backed gull-r-also. breeds at Campbell Island,: while _the) handsome whlteHrapped-mollymawk^seledts" the Snares for breeding Ipqreqsesly;: Another -species! breeds \on"-th(i: Bounty Island. R :Oneiof Jhe' niost^repent additions to.'the; New. Zealand'biM list" is -the, jChatham..lsjtodr,nio.ilxniawk, which.was discovered at the Chatham Islands in 1926 by/the'- Whitney 'South Seas Expedition. It; wW-foiih'd breeding, on Pyramict Slock ■ aiiiiyhaiioremained there apparentlynhknowhv although several friaturalists shad ".visited the group; in:the past leighty,iyears.