3 
William 0. ¥irtz, II 
19o4 
I collected a wedgetail at 1600 , and shot and wounded 
a second after dinner, hut it wasn't killed and went 
skittering off over the waves and we couldn’t find it. 
.The collected bird was picked up in less than five 
minutes..'; As soon as I notified the bridge which 
side it was on the ship went into a tight circle and came 
right up alongside it so we could net it. Very smooth, 
maneuver. The bird had an egg in the tract very near 
laying. 1 .< 
The Capt. had a phone installed for us today 
connecting the forecastle and the flying bridge so that 
a man with a gun on the foc'stle can be in contact with 
our watch on the flying bridge. I merely wondered to 
the first mate if this could be done and two hours later 
it was installed. 
June 7 --Watch run from dawn to dark today. Weather 
clear and hot all day. Changed to X-ray time last 
night—clocks retarded one hour. 
Bird sightings sparse today till about 1600; then 
began picking up sooty terns. They were most common 
species all day. Collected one Eulwer’s and six sooties 
today. Saw a few wedgetails and a few red-tailed 
tropiebirds. Two Pterodroma ? seen, apparently the 
same thing. Both were sitting on the water when seen. 
Birds appeared smaller than a Bonin; fairly light gray 
above, pale below; underwing white with black border. 
Birds looked very pale when sitting on the water. 
Saw a school of fifty to seventy-five porpoises 
pass the ship headed southeast this afternoon. They 
were jumping completely out of the water, zig-zaging and 
splashing around quite a bit. 
« 
June 8 —We passed Johnston about 12p0 today and turned 
southwest to head for the comer of the grid. This put 
us cutting into both wind ana sea and things got pretty 
rough. 
