we intercepted the ? and proceeded to Cook Island • 
On Cook there were noticeably less Phoenix Island Petrels and Christinas 
Island Shearwaters than on Motu Upua, but more blue-gray noddies and fairy 
tarns. Red-tailed tropicbirds were nesting heavily on the N side. A cloud 
of sooty terns hung over the S central part but were impossible to catch. 
Nested terns were flying oyer the island, usually in pairs. Hawaiian noddies 
were present in moderate numbers. Strangely, fairy terns were nesting here 
but not on Motu Upua. Some red-foots roosted in Messers chmid t ia - <^100. 
The same shorebirds were present as at Upua with the exception of 3 sanderling, 
two of which were collected. 
After setting up camp I took a shorebird count while the others surveyed 
the island. After dark Dick and I banded fairy terns while Doug collected some 
Haw. nods, blue-gray nod., and fairy terns. On the way we worked along the 
beach grabbing 25 crested terns and banding them. Collected a few skink and 
gekkos from an abandoned tent and also some fish amongst a school of mullet 
whichwe had never collected before. 
23 November 
Doug and I set off for the N end of the island to band red-tailled tropic- 
birds. Saw three Sander lings on the way and called Dick with the bun and 
collected two. Red-tails were nesting in nearly all the Messerschmidtia and 
Scaveola bushes and we quickly finished a string of 100. Dick collected shore- 
birds. 
Broke camp at 1130 and chugged back to Loudon where we picked up more 
gasoline and drinking water. Left immediately for Motu Tabu, over an hour*s 
trip against the waves to the middle of the lagoon. Everything was wet when 
we arrived; set camp and Dick and I skinned birds we had collected while Doug 
surveyed . 
Phoenix Island petrel and Christmas Is. shearwaters were more abundant than 
on Upua. Phoenix were nesting very sparsely, Christmas nesting. Common and 
Hawaiian noddles were both abundant, as were blue-gray noddies and fairy terns. 
Wedgetails were nesting in small numbers. 
2k November 
Got to bed at 2, up at quarter to seven and off with one cylinder still 
asleep due to the damp night. Rendezvous f d with LPANJs whale boat and em- 
barked Loudon at G83O. Sailed for Washington 0900. 
25 November 
Arrived Washington early with unusually cloudy skies despite presence of 
the dry season. Took limited gear ahhore. Washington is part of a large firm 
whichruns coconut plantation throughout the Pacific, owned by Australia. This 
one had an Australian manager, Mr. Kruz, who had been there nine years and had 
no plans for leaving. Less than 100 Gilbertese work the plantation, signing 
up to come to Washington for a number of months and then return to their native 
Gilbert islands. We were all treated to huge can of Victoria Bitters in the 
manager ? s pleasant open-air-house. Then all set off for the freshwater lake 
in the interior via a dirt road and paths backed for coconut harvesting. On 
the way down to the lake we saw several Washington Land Warblers and many 
Scarlet -br eat ed Lorikeets?. Fairy terns and Hawaiian Noddies were abundant 
in the coconut trees and red-footed boobies roosted in high PIsonia. Land 
