THE ALBATROSS.

Tue Albatross is a very large marine
bird, being from three to four feet long.
It is believed that it passes from one end
of the globe to the other in search of food.
They feed chiefly upon flying-fish; and
when these fail, they eat shell-fish. These
birds are very abundant at the Cape of
Good Hope. Their arrival is considered
by the natives of Kamtschatka as the
sure sign of the approach of shoals of fish,
which they follow from the remotest seas.
Their gluttony is almost unequalled. It
is not uncommon to see one swallow a
salmon of four or five pounds weight ; but

(66)