5 
October 17-19» 1964 
I have consolida'red these three days because ifhen one is on 
such small islands with such limited possiblitites it does not 
really matter.if something happens on monday, iues, or Aed- 
the fact that it happenes is enough. One could survive for 
months, even years on an island of this ki.nd, there is enough 
w 
here to fulfill the basic requiremnets but the limits for the mind 
are so narrow that within days one might go mad for there is 
truly little here in the v;ay of variety. 
xionetheless x kept my sanity 3iong enough to collect a 
series of rats and to band 300 Oooty Terns. Here, by the v/ay, l 
saw my first orested Tern chick, big deal. And, swam for many 
hours amongst the wondering fish who must have an visaged 
me as a clumsy jelly fish from some foreign waters. 
departed the atoll on the morning of the 19 th on route 
to Taka Atoll 65 miles to the south arriving late in the 
afternoon and having found a passage wide enough to accomadate 
the ship we anchored in the atoll one mile off Taka island, 
iio shore party was planned until the following day. 
October 20, 1964 
V/oke up to clear skies also heard that nrushkev was no premier 
of Hussia, whether he was dead or dethroned x did not find out 
for several days. There is next to no news coverage here and 
it will take a month to catch up to the world. 
Taka is a beautful atoll and comprised of 6 or 7 islands 
which from a distance look lovely, cool and green. Here again 
there are cocnut palms planted by the good natives of Uteric 
A..^oll which lies only eight miles to the west . it was decided 
that since there are so many islands in this atoll that we form 
into two parties. One going to Boken and Hluk the other to 
^_in which X was included) Taka, lojiron and Wotourikku-to. 
Taka, the main island and the one which we finally chose as 
our base of operations is the most habitable of all the islands 
we have yet been to , here with its large, grove of coconuts 
and ample well is the paradise sought after by so many. 
There is even that small groupingof grass huts which in their 
whimsical construction see.aied perfectly suited for the tropics. 
