Nov., r9o 4 [ THE CONDOR r5r

Albatross Pictures BY XVAI,TER K. FISIIER ILLUSTRATED gVITld PHOTOGRAPHS BY TIlE AUTHOR I have ventured to reprint the illustrations of my article in the January, 9o4, Auk, "On the Habits of the Laysan Albatross," hoping that the pictures will be of interest to those readers of Tx CONDOR Who do not regularly see our standard journal of ornithology. The following brief synopsis of the pictures is not intended to be an exposition of the habits of that most entertaining bird, l)iomedea immulabilis, but rather a scenario, as it were, of its somewhat theatrical IG. 1. ROOKERY OF LAYSAN ALBATROSSES performances. Something has already been said concerning the general aspects of the bird life on Laysan, in the May and July numbers of T; CONDOR. The first picture shows a portion of one of the larger rockeries of Diomedea immutabilis, near the southern end of the islet. Here, in years gone by, Japanese laborers have cleared away all the loose phosphate rock leaving a level area many acres in extent. The albatrosses have entirely preempted the site. In the dis- tance may be discerned the sandy slope of the island, corresponding to the sides of a meat platter, which the atoll greatly resembles in general form. In the tbre- ground is seen loose phosphate rock and one of the characteristic bushes of the island, Chenopodium sandwichcure, a sort of pigweed. Figure  is one of the young albatrosses in the foreground of r. Most of the birds in sight are young, since the photograph was taken in the morning before the adults had returned from the a,Vith the exception of the frontispiece these illustrations are from plates kindly loaned me by Dr. J. A. Allen and .Mr. Frank M. Chapman, editors of THE AUK.