Virtz, W. 
1963 
' . ’ *' * .*• • * 
Feb. 
ASF 
- 355 - 
must be careful with them. 
y 
The albatross appear to be nesting chiefly in a hole whihh is 
inside the sand beaches, but not in the grassy interior of the 
island. ^Thia island appears to be dried than Layson, and the interior 
is mostly bunches of grass. Petrel burrows seem to be more numerous tho 
Laysan. As we left the island this afternoon the air over the sea was 
literally filled with Bonins for about hO minutes. Everywhere I looked 
I could see hundreds of them skimming over the water. We did not 
notice concentrations like this at Laysan in daylight hours, though 
great numbers were present on and over the island at night. There were 
many frigates here and were starting to nest in the ScaevMa. Large 
\ 
i 
numbers were in the air most of the time as we moved about the island. \ 
They have a curious habit of* skimming right up to you on the ground and 
trying to snatch a hat or nip at your head, or -whatever happens to be 
the highfest part of your body. As we anchored at ^Laysan one kept 
trying to snatch the campaign pennant off the tip of the ships mast. 
Masked boobies wore nsesting among the albatross, aid were in several 
stages from nest building to chicks of various sises. They also nest 
right on tte ground here, and are, like the albatross, quite fearless 
« 
when approached on the nest. Several good groups of bristle-thighed curlews 
were observed, and large flocks of golden plovers and ruddy tumstones 
were seen on the eastern and souteastern beaches. Groups of 8 -10 
iif 
sanderlings were noted on the beach at numerous points around the island. 
Bob and Binion found a Bonin nesting above ground and noted flesh 
broken eggs above ground in the interior believed to be Bonins. We 
did not notice many f3(ary or gray-back terns on this island, but a 
Hawaiian noddies were again nesting in large numbers in and about the 
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