-5- 
SPECIES ACCOUNTS 
Where applicable in the following species accounts I attempt to 
expand the raw data to draw out information which is at best only- 
hypothetical and tentative. These personal evaluations should be considered 
chiefly for their hueristic value. 
D=0 
C=0 
A=0 
B=1 
Black-footed Albatross 
( Diomedea nigripes ) 
The single record for this species is unusual both for the time of 
the year (September l4) and the extreme southern location (.04°5^- , N;17^°^0’W). 
This appears to be the only record in our area for this species below the 
latitude of Johnston Atoll. 
D=0 
B=3 
C=1 
A=0 
Pale-footed Shearwater 
(Puffinus carneipes ) 
Puffinus carneipes in our study area at this time of year are enroute 
to breeding areas off of New Zealand. Field identification marks are 
not always distinct and I suspect this bird occurs with greater regularity 
than recorded. It may participate somewhat in feeding flocks. 
Wedge-tailed Shearwaters A=223 B=159 C=l4l D=220 
( Puffinus pacificus ) 
Wedge-tails were regularly the major component of the Shearwater- 
Petrel observations. Between Samoa and the Phoenix Islands the bird was 
infrequent, 8 birds being recorded in 6 days. From mid September to 
late October the approximate division between light and dark populations 
moved north from ca. 8°N to ca. l4°N. Orange-streamered birds were 
observed to the west of Johnston Atoll. 
Geographically separable light and dark phase populations in 
procellariforms is an interesting problem in adaptive Polymorphism. 
Aside from the basic advantage stemming from genetic heterosis in a species, 
it is often difficult to offer an explanation for this phenomenon. 
Genetic drift and isolation alone do not seem to be adequate answers. 
Predator pressure, preferential mating, and heat regulation have been 
suggested as contributing factors. It strikes me that of all problems 
facing pelagic bird species, food getting is foremost. In this connection 
I suggest that pelagic bird pattern (white below, dark above) is highly 
