. The animals of New Zealand; an account of the dominion's air-breathing vertebrates . ngth of the wing, in.; of the tarsus, —About 5 in. in length. Young, chocolate brown, with a white wings coverts and axillaries, white. Southern Ocean. Breedson Adams Island, Auckland Group, and at the Antipodes. Its rangeextends through the Southern Pacific Ocean to within about 600 miles ofCape Horn, after which it appears to be replaced by the snowy albatross(Z). chionoptera). The albatross takes three or four years to attain the adultplumage. The first year is spent in the nest;
. The animals of New Zealand; an account of the dominion's air-breathing vertebrates . ngth of the wing, in.; of the tarsus, —About 5 in. in length. Young, chocolate brown, with a white wings coverts and axillaries, white. Southern Ocean. Breedson Adams Island, Auckland Group, and at the Antipodes. Its rangeextends through the Southern Pacific Ocean to within about 600 miles ofCape Horn, after which it appears to be replaced by the snowy albatross(Z). chionoptera). The albatross takes three or four years to attain the adultplumage. The first year is spent in the nest; after leaving itthe young bird becomes gradually white, first on the abdomen, 270 THE ANIMALS OF NEW ZEALAND then on the back, then on the neck, and last on the top of thehead. The Antipodes Island birds may be a distinct species, asthey are darker on the back and do not appear to get a whitehead. The average breadth across the wings is ten feet, rangingbetween nine and twelve feet. The birds food consists chiefly ofcuttle-fish. Indeed, it cannot catch fish; for it never pounces. (Photi. Ill Mr. G. BiuMli, on AittijMdiS Island.) Young of Wandering Albatross. suddenly, like a frigate-bird, or a gannet, on anything floating onthe water, but always settles first at some little distance off andswims up to its prey. For this reason it can be caught with a hookonly when a vessel is going slowly, not more than four or fiveknots, and when plenty of line can be paid out, so as to give thebird time to look at the bait before he swallows it; for thealbatross is a cautious bird, and is frightened if the bait is beingtowed through the water. The bait must be floated by means of THE WANDERING ALBATROSS 271 corks; the hook need not be barbed, as it always catches in thecurved end of the upper mandible. The albatross does not fiy by night, and its habits are tiuitediurnal both on sea and on land. It is rarely found north oflatitude 30° S. The nest, which is always placed on high grassytabl
Size: 1825px × 1369px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectb, booksubjectzoology
