DIOMEDIA

DIOMEDIA, in ornithology, a genus belonging to the order of auferes. The bill is strait; the superior mandible is crooked at the point, and the lower one is truncated: the nostrils are oval, open, a little prominent, and placed on the sides. There are two species, viz. 1. The exulans, has pennated wings, and three toes on each foot. It is the albatros of Edwards; and is about the size of a pelican. These birds are found in the ocean betwixt the tropics and at the Cape of Good Hope. They are also often seen in vast flocks in Kamtschatka, and adjacent islands, about the end of June, where they are called Great Gulls; but it is chiefly in the bay of Penschenen, the whole inner sea of Kamtschatka, the Kurile isles, and that of Bering; for on the eastern coasts of the first they are scarce, a single straggler only appearing now and then. Their chief motive for frequenting these places seems to be plenty of food; and their arrival is a sure presage of shoals of fish following. At their first coming they are very lean, but soon grow immensely fat. Are very voracious birds, and will often swallow a salmon of four or five pounds weight; but as they cannot take the whole of it into their stomach at once, part of the tail end will often remain out of the mouth; and the natives, finding the bird in this situation, make no difficult matter of knocking it on the head on the spot. Before the middle of August they migrate elsewhere. They are often taken by means of a hook baited with a fish; but it is not for the sake of their flesh that they are valued, it being hard and unfavoury, but on account of the intestines, a particular part of which they blow up as a bladder, to serve as floats to buoy up their nets in fishing. Of the bones they make tobacco-pipes, needle-cases, and other useful things. When caught they defend themselves stoutly with the bill. Their cry is harsh and disagreeable, not unlike the braying of an ass. The breeding

Diomedes, breeding places of the albatross, if at all in the northern hemisphere, have not yet been pointed out; but we are certain of their multiplying in the southern, viz. Patagonia and Falkland islands: to this last place they come about the end of September or beginning of October, among other birds, in great abundance. The nests are made on the ground with earth, are round in shape, a foot in height, indented at top. The egg larger than that of a goose, four inches and a half long, white, marked with dull spots at the bigger end; and is thought to be good food, the white never growing hard with boiling. While the female is sitting, the male is constantly on the wing, and supplies her with food: during this time they are so tame as to suffer themselves to be shoved off the nest while their eggs are taken from them; but their chief destruction arises from the hawk, which, the moment the female gets off the nest, darts thereon, and flies away with the egg. The albatross itself likewise has its enemy, being greatly persecuted while on the wing by the dark grey gull called Alca.

This bird attacks it on all sides, but particularly endeavours to get beneath, which is only prevented by the first settling on the water; and indeed they do not frequently fly at a great distance from the surface, except obliged so to do by high winds or other causes. As soon as the young are able to remove from the nest, the penguins take possession, and hatch their young in turn. It is probable that they pass from one part of the globe to another according to the season; being now and then met with by different voyagers at various times in intermediate places. The food is supposed to be chiefly small marine animals, especially of the mollusca or blubber class, as well as flying fish. 2. The demersa, has no quill-feathers on the wings; and the feet have four toes, connected together by a membrane. It is the black penguin of Edwards, about the size of a goose, and is found at the Cape of Good Hope. It is an excellent swimmer and diver; but hops and flutters in a strange awkward manner on the land, and, if hurried, stumbles perpetually, and frequently runs for some distance like a quadruped, making use of the wings instead of legs, till it can recover its upright posture; crying out at the same time like a goose, but in a much hoarser voice. It is said to clamber some way up the rocks in order to make the nest; in doing which, has been observed to assault with the bill. The eggs are two in number, white, as large as those of a duck, and reckoned delicious eating, at least are thought so at the Cape, where they are brought in great numbers for that purpose. At this place the birds are often seen kept tame; but in general they do not survive the confinement many months.