March 
AW 
66 
Mixtz, \J, 
1962 
fche day though they have been on the ground at night. There ere 
more troplchirds over the island to dey. I counted 8 at on© time, end 
they also ere spending more time on the ground. The frigates have become 
very fond of the projections we have added to the island. They roost in 
large numbers on the tower, now that we have added a floor and rails on 
our clothesline poles, insect trap tripod, the barrels we used to mark 
the base line, our supply shack and the beacon lights we put out for the 
ship. In fact we had to relocate the light on one beacon because roosting 
# 
frigates obscured the light at night* 
Banding this evening was fairly good, the high light being the 
capture of our first wedge—tailed shear-titer. This species is somewhat 
larger than the Bonin petrel, the only relatively similar thing we f ve 
banded to date, with prominant light pickish feet and large wedge shaped 
tail. When released after banding it ran quite rapidly over the ground 
before some distance while I follow <i before it finally flew. This is 
quite different from the petrels, which are quite at^kward in their movements 
on the ground, and either stumble about in their attempt© to get away or 
fly right away. Morris and I worked on the black foots on the west end 
again, and noted almost no banded ones while doing 110 new ones. The birds 
seeded much more skittish tonight, and many escaped unbanded. Banding 
totals for the xray are* 371 black foots, 7 frigates, 6 boobies, 40 Bonin 
and 11 Sooty Petrels, 2 more Tropicbirds, 11 mixed terns, and the wedge 
tailshearwater. 
Morris walked counter-clock wise around the island during the middle 
of the date and listed the following information on the seals} 
Nos. 95 and 102 on the North RT. Nos. 72 and 88 on Sorth Beach 
Two unmarked and No. 98 on the north side of the sand spit. 
