John Horner, age 8, of Sioux City, Iowa, for his question:

How did the gooney bird get his name?

His real name is the albatross and he is the champion flier of the bird world. His wings are rather slim but when he spreads them wide, they may measure almost 12 feet from tip to tip. His body is about the same size as a goose and his total weight is around 25 pounds. His measurements are important because they are the reason why this magnificent creature came to be called a gooney bird.

It began in the days of old sailing ships. Certain sailors from Europe used to say that a clumsy or stupid person was a gooney. In the southern oceans they saw the mighty albatross and let him land on their decks. But because of his shape, the great bird must run a long, long way on the water to get his wide, wide wings launched into the air. When he tried to take off from a ship's deck, he floundered and flopped. The silly sailors thought he was clumsy and called him a gooney bird. They also thought he was a stupid gooney because he trusted them.