up considerably during the night and the small boat landing has 
6 to 10 foot waves now breaking through it. Thus we are now cut 
off from the ship which is rolling considerably at anchor about 
a mile and a quarter west of the island. This is as cose as the 
Captain felt he could safely anchor the ship and thus there is 
quite a jaunt in the rubber boat each time we want to get back and 
forth. The wind has shifted in the night from the southwest to the 
northwest or north. We had two heavy rain squalls with high winds 
during the night but the tents held fast and only leaked a little. 
There are several rain squalls to the west of us now moving with 
the wind and they may be far enough west so thssy will miss Laysan 
today. We will continue our survey of the islands Sauna today 
trying to determine what species and numbers of each are present, and 
at what stage in the reproductive cycle these species now are. We had 
made arrangements with the ship to send in the boat at 1000 and 1600 
today and it now looks like it will be impossible for them to do this. 
The field party split into &wo groups again this morning, one taking 
mist nets and going inland to the lagoon and the second trip going 
south on the ¥$st beach of the island. The beach group made observations 
on the species of birds along the water’s edge and in the vegetation 
along the beach front. It observed a Frigate bird colony in the 
scaevola which appears to be getting ready for the breedi.ng season, 
and was able to tag 10 seals. Near the southern end of the west shore 
this group turned inland and cut back up the ridge of the island through 
a fairly sparsely vegetated area which is a breeding ground primarily 
- t" ’ *r - v _ 
for Laysan Albatrosses. The party returned to the camp site about noon. 
29 
