Albatross, al'ba-tros, an aquatic bird of the southern seas, allied to the petrel and the gull: There are several species. The wandering albatross, with a wing expanse of twelve feet, is the largest web-footed bird known. The hind toe is wanting. The foot is webbed to the very extremity. Occasionally, at least, this bird visits Tampa Bay, Florida. The albatross feeds on fish, but is far from nice in its choice of a meal. When food is plentiful, it gorges till it can hardly move. Any sea carrion, as the floating carcass of a whale, is acceptable. Flying fish are a favorite food. Except when rising from the water, the albatross floats so gracefully in the air that the motion of its wings is hardly perceptible. Its cry is said to be like that of a pelican, but it also brays like a donkey. Its flesh is not edible, although the eggs are eaten. The nest is formed by making a slight hollow in the sand not far from the sea. Only one egg, about four inches long, is laid. The albatross is a picturesque feature of the lonely Antarctic waters, where it follows the whaler's ship in hope of food. This trait is utilized by Coleridge in his The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. The black-footed albatross, a smaller bird, haunts the North Pacific. Flocks of fifteen or twenty follow the tourists' ship from San Francisco to the Aleutian Islands.