the phosphate rock pile'in the albatross colony at the south¬ 
west end of the island and a total of 150 birds were seen. This 
was composed of 1 banded male, 1 banded female, 76 unbanded males, 
and 7 ^ unbanded females, 6 unidentified birds also flew from 
this area. 
In an area 60° east of the ironwood tree and 350° from the 
south edge of the lagoon, 11 banded teal were seen on April 28. 
(Perhaps Warner's transects #5 or 4 come through here). 5 females 
banded on the left leg, 4 males banded on the right leg, and 2 
males banded on the left leg were in this immediate vicinity. 
No unbanded birds were seen in this area. It is not known whether 
the 2 left-leg banded males were the result of an error in band¬ 
ing or perhaps banded in a different year. 
Time did not permit a complete and accurate circuit of the 
lagoon areas where teal concentrations appear to be located, nor 
was sufficient manpower available for such an attempt but from 
the average densities seen in these randomly picked areas, I 
would not hesitate to estimate 600 to 700 teal on the island. 
I fully believe that 5 men making a careful survey in a loose 
line cound count the total number of birds present in about 10 
to 12 hours, assuming time spent in determining if bands are 
present on the individual birds. 
4 unbanded pairs were seen on the sand beach and rocky shore 
of the east end, with one male making a short flight to the ocean 
edge .at a rocky cove, landing in the shallow water and swimming 
there for approximately 5 minutes. He ducked his bill into the 
water several times in about 3 inches of water, but it was 
impossible to tell whether he was taking water or some form of 
solid from the bottom. He then walked back up the beach to 
his mate who had stood in one place watching the procedure. 
On April 30, 2 male and 1 female teal were noted in the lagoon 
waters, wading from the edge into water deep enough for them to 
swim. From time to time, one or another of the birds would put 
their bill or whole head under water in the manner of other 
"puddle" ducks when feeding. Ho mud was stirred up though, so 
it is possible the birds were not sieving the bottom. Actually, 
in this hypersaline water, I do not believe any algal growth 
was present on the bottom,but an unknown species of amphiped 
was found in the shallow pools (Caspers). The only other type 
of feeding activity noted was what appeared to be the major 
way of food gathering at this time of year, that is, running 
along the lagoon edges with bead near the ground, and bill 
open, eating as many of the small "salt flys" as they could 
scoop up. These flys were present along the lagoon literally 
by the millions, and, amazing as it may seem after all the 
prior expeditions to the island, seem to be a previously 
undescribed species. (See Butler). As the birds would eat 
them, swarms would come up off the ground and when blown down¬ 
wind, the birds would be rather unsuccessful in their attempts, 
unless they happened to be running upwind. The birds have 
no technique here yet, running as often downwind (unsuccessful) 
