Identifier: handbookofbirdso00litt (
find matches)Title:
A handbook of the birds of Tasmania and its dependenciesYear:
1910 (
1910s)Authors:
Littler, Frank MervynSubjects:
Birds -- Australia TasmaniaPublisher:
Launceston, Tasmania : F.M. LittlerContributing Library:
American Museum of Natural History LibraryDigitizing Sponsor:
Biodiversity Heritage LibraryView Book Page:
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view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.Text Appearing Before Image:extremity and the appearance of whitebeyond the black is due to the whitish feet (E. A. Wilson). *BLACK-BEOWED ALBATROSS (Diomedia melanopJirys, Temm.) Male.—General colour white; a slaty patcli in front of andbehind the eyes; back and wings slaty-black; tail slate-grey; billdull yellow; legs and feet yellow. Dimensions in mm. :—Length,about 860; bill, 138; wing, 510; tail, 185; tarsus, 78. Female.—Similar to male. Youn^/.—Differs from the adult in that the head is grey andthe bill dark blue. Nest.—Constructed of grass, moss, and earth into the shapeof a small inverted cone. Breeds in colonies. Eggs.—Clutch one; inchned to oval in shape; texture coarse;surface without gloss; colour dull white, with a few distinct mark-ings on the apex. Dimensions in mm.:—101 x 67. Breeding Season.—November and December. Geographical Distribution.—Seas of Tasmania, Australia, NewZealand, and the Southern Ocean in general. Observations.—Wound the coast of Tasmania this fine AlbatrossText Appearing After Image:BIRDS OF TASMANIA. 187 is frequently to be seen either following in the wake of ships orelse scouring the ocean for food. It has been found breeding on Campbell, Auckland, Antipodes,Bounty, Falkland, and Kerguelen Islands. Of all the species with which I am acquainted this is the mostfearless of man, for it often approaches many yards nearer thevessel than any other; I have even observed it so near that thetips of its pinions were not more than two arms lengths from thetaffrail. It is very easily captured with a hook and line, and, asthis operation gives not the least pain to the bird, the point of thehook merely taking hold in the horny and insensible tip of thebill, I frequently amused myself by capturing specimens in thisway, and after detaining them sutiiciently long to afford me anopportunity for investigating any particular point respecting whichI wished to satisfy myself, setting them at liberty again, afterhaving marked many, in order to ascertain whether the individualswhichNote About Images Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original work.