One of my amusements on board was _fishing_ for albatrosses, Cape petrels, or pigeons as they are commonly termed, (from the supposed resemblance of their flight and bill to that of a pigeon,) with a hook and line, and a piece of fat pork as a bait, and a quantity of spare line to let out when the bird attacked my bait, so as to allow for the sailing of the ship, and give him time to hook himself as comfortably as possible, or as securely as desired. Many a laugh, and sapient gaze, and passing remark, have I had from my fellow-passengers, at the nonsense and folly of “_fishing_” for birds: I recollect having a crowd of eager, idle gazers looking on to see what success would attend this novel method of sporting among the feathered creation: the wind was light; and after some time spent in expectation, as is customary with that humane body, the fishers, fortune favoured me, for a huge Albatross greedily seized my bait, and hauling the ponderous bird for some distance through the water, at last I _landed_ him safely on deck: the strain of the line was very great, (with the ship not going above two or three knots an hour through the water,) and I was momentarily expecting it to give way. On this gigantic bird arriving on deck, its enormous size, and elegant, sleek plumage, was exposed to the close gaze of all the before disbelieving passengers, who flocked from cabin and steerage to view the splendid prize, which excited both their surprise and admiration, as it lay on the deck, with expanded wings, and half drowned from having been dragged some distance through the water. Nothing more was afterwards heard of the size of the bird being exaggerated; and it proved for a long time after a subject of conversation, all uniting in pronouncing it an enormous and splendid production of the feathered creation. A second specimen was caught soon after: the first measured fourteen feet from the extremity of one wing to that of the other; and the second, ten feet four inches. There was a slight difference of plumage in the two birds; one having the upper part of the head and back of a beautiful pencilled white; while the upper part of the head and back of the other was black. The skin, on dissecting the birds, was found to contain a very large quantity of oil, as is usual with the oceanic birds. A cluster of cartilaginous tumors was found attached to the web of the foot of one of the birds. The pharynx and œsophagus are capable of being distended to a very large size, which enables the bird to swallow large pieces of food entire.