All ready the albatross checks a hatching in staggering numbers downy and demanding with unending patience. The new mother waits for her mate to return for his far origin until near starvation if she must. 

        He, meanwhile, may be covering thousands of miles on the way, simply to find food for his brood. He returns having the seafood. After a brief greeting, they transfer parental responsibilities. He fails the chick’s bailey and the family’s content. The jolly looks hungry too. Sometimes the parent never returns from the sea.