I shot it about nine A.M.They are very numerous in these latitudes; their flight resembles much that of a snipe.

The name by which they are known to the sailors is the whale-bird; they appear to take their food upon the wing, for I have never yet seen them sit upon the waters even for a single second, although I have observed them frequently, and at all hours; but night and day they hurry on with the same restless, rapid flight, sometimes going in large flocks; and I have never upon shore seen so many birds assembled upon a few square miles as I have sometimes here observed in the open ocean.

I never heard them utter any cry or sound.
I saw but few Cape pigeons (Procellaria capensis) after passing the 40th degree of longitude, and neither Cape pigeons nor albatrosses after passing the 95th degree of longitude, and 32nd parallel of latitude.

I have never seen a petrel or bird of the family Longipennes discharge its oily fluid at anyone who worried or attacked it; but have almost invariably seen it involuntarily eject it,when hurt or frightened.
THE ALBATROSS.
November 9.
I caught four albatrosses with a fishing-line; one of them was a female, the first I had seen.

I observed no marked difference between her and males of the same species, for I have found them vary much in the dark shades upon their feathers.
I have yet found no bird of this family whose foot was not longer than its beak.
DIOMEDEA EXULANS--Female.
Length from tip of wing to tip of wing,10 feet 10 inches.
Length from tip of wing, 4 feet 10 inches.
From tip of beak to tip of tail, 4 feet 9 inches.
Length of beak, 7.2 inches.
Length of tail, 9 inches.
Length of foot, 7.5 inches.
The black and brown marks on this bird were darker than the corresponding ones on the males.
I am inclined to think that the chief characteristic that distinguishes the females from the males in the family Longipennes is their greater size: my opinion is grounded upon the following tables, drawn up from careful measurements, made by myself.
(@@@TABLE OF FAMILY LONGIPENNES) In each of these three instances the female is larger than the males; they are the only ones I am able to adduce which bear upon this point.
November 11.