10 
9 - 29-63 
Went hunting today. Saw and collected one of the 
first immature ( bird-of-the-year ) Tattlers I have 
seen, All other tattlers collected before today were 
adults, moulting heavily. Also saw and shot a sparrow 
with white outer tailfeathers ( Vesper Sparrow ? ), but 
the bird fell into the morning-glory - Scaveola tangles 
by the runway and two hours of searching did hot turn 
up the bird. A bitter disappointment. 
9-30-63 
Spent the morning skinning the immature Red-footed 
Booby. Bill still having trouble skinning fat rats. 
In the afternoon we laid out two shearwater study 
areas 200 x 200 feet. One tangent to the Rat study 
area, one across the side road from th§ buildings. 
In these two areas the roosting numbers of Wedgetails 
are highest. Relaxed i$ the evening, Joe saw a duck. 
10 - 1-63 
Up early to look for the duck. Walked out the front 
door of the station and ( when the gun was not loaded ) 
there was the duck - the duck promptly left and I did 
not even get a shot off at him. There was not enough 
light to be sure, but I believe that this was a mallard 
female. Lately I am having the damndest luck hunting. 
Went out early in the afternoon to band boobys and tagged 
24. Trying to catch Adult Brown, both immature and adult 
Red-foots, and Frigates during the day is pure folly • 
In distinguishing the immatures, and locating the nests 
of the birds, the following hints may help the novice. 
Masked boobies nest in the open, often on ant hills 
surrounded by grass, never higher cover. They are the 
largest booby weighing up to five pounds. Their chicks 
Have dark heads and necks, dark blue feet , and rarely 
run into the Scaveola for protection. Adult male Masked 
boobys have a very high pitched wheeze call when agi¬ 
tated, Adult females have a lower, more raucous call. 
Masked Chicks all sound like adult females. 
Brown boobys nest on the periphrey of grass clear¬ 
ings often with the nest set under the first scaveola 
bushes. They construct a well de'Tined nest, lined with 
grasses, weeds, and scaveola leaves. Brown Booby chicks 
have chrome to deep yellow colored f eet. They are con¬ 
siderably smaller than Masked chicks"”C"2 -3 pounds ) and 
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