DAY 322: MORE ALBATROSS

A most vivid description of the Albatross is that of James Anthony Froude in his 1886 book, Oceana, in which he wrote how the Albatross:

 "..........wheels in circles round and round, and forever round the ship - now far behind, now sweeping past in a long rapid curve, like a perfect skater on an untouched field of ice." 

He tells of the almost effortless way that the bird flies near the water with rarely a stroke of its wings, seeming to disappear between the high and low waves, then rising above the waves' crests with a tiny adjustment to the inclination of the wings which are usually parallel with the sea.  But when turning to rise or to change its direction, the wings can point at such an angle that one aims at the sky whereas the other points to the water.