habits of species for which they 
were previously unknown. The pro- 
gram’s studies on Enderbury have 
shown, for example, that the Red- 
tailed Tropicbird, Blue-faced Booby, 
Red-footed Booby, Great Frigatebird, 
Lesser Frigatebird, and Gray-backed 
Tern commonly nest on Enderbury and 
have annual breeding cycles. 
Another bird, the Sooty Tern, 
apparently breeds on Enderbury at 6 
month instead of 12 month intervals. 
The Brown Booby, however, does not 
seem to exhibit any particular 
choice of breeding season. 
Egg, nest, and nestling counts 
are made at different times of the 
year, behavior is recorded in field 
notes, bird parasites are collected, 
stomachs are examined for contents, 
and notes on molt are kept; all 
this is an effort to increase man- 
kind’s knowledge of the breeding 
biology of seabirds. In addition, 
the P.O.B.S.P. has made represen- 
tative collections of fish, in- 
sects, plants, reptiles, and reef 
Crustacea. This information, when 
compiled and analyzed, will be pub- 
lished by the Smithsonian Institu- 
tion along with other similar 
island reports. , , , 
- Tina C. Abbott 
SIBLEY ID STUDY 
CONDORS 
Fred Charles Sibley joined the 
P.O.B.S.P. at its inception and was 
given charge of field work in the 
South Pacific. 
Most of his field work for the 
Program has been in the Phoenix and 
Line Islands where he led six 2- 
month expeditions, directing the 
varied activities undertaken on the 
island surveys. An avid collector, 
he obtained personally many speci- 
Fred Sibley on watch aboard ship. 
Photo by R.B. Clapp, POBSP. 
mens of birds heretofore unknown or 
infrequently recorded in the Central 
Pacific . 
His eagerness to begin island 
work often led him to attempt land- 
ings when high surf awed his com- 
panions. These landings and his 
unhesitant handling of larger sea- 
birds, especially those of uncer- 
tain temper and razor-edged beaks, 
soon earned him the name "Fearless 
Fred." 
Mr. Sibley received his aca- 
demic training at Cornell Univer- 
sity where he received his B. S. 
degree in 1955 and his M. S. de- 
gree in 1959- He has done pre- 
vious field work in the American 
Midwest, Mexico, and Nigeria. 
Mr. Sibley is leaving the 
Pacific Program to join -the U. S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service's Rare 
and Endangered Species program. He 
will leave soon for the West Coast 
to conduct studies on the extremely 
rare California Condor. 
Although Pacific Program per- 
sonnel will miss his cheerful effi- 
ciency, he has agreed fortunateJy to 
act as consultant on a number of 
publications for which he has gath- 
ered much data. 
