71 
"White -throated Storm Petrel # Obs. - 9 
Ttosnfrefietta albigularis 
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In spite ox’ the fact that at least four breeding stations were in¬ 
cluded in the itinerary (Christmas I., Phoenix I. (McKean), Samoa, Fiji, 
and possibly Malden) all nine records were made offshore of Phoenix. 
This species probably only rarely goes over a couple hundred miles from 
the breeding island. This evident patrophily no doubt has led to the 
taxonomic questions.raised about the various phases and endemic races, 
and poses a very intriguing problem in population dynamics. 
Wilson Storm Petrel $ Obs. - 1 
Oceanites oceanicus 
One bird was positively identified — "yellow feet" — on 15 
February, south of the Southern Grid. Certainly this species is over¬ 
looked occasionally, but probably just as often it has been eagerly mis- 
identified -- when Leach's "fly funny." An accidental. A ratio of 
1:100 to 200 Leach's is probably close to the truth.. 
White-tailed Tropicbird # Obs. - So 
Phaethon lepturus 
_ ■ ■■ i m m ■ 
In the surveyed area birds appear to radiate from four peripheral 
locations none of which overlay each other to any marked degree. The 
Hawaiian populations present a well defined gradient that declines 
southward to almost nothing before reaching the equator. The large 
Samoan populations during this period were nou radiating out to any great, 
distance. The north to south pelagic distribution of these two elements 
may be a push-pull sort of relationship; breeding oirds in the norm con¬ 
tracting when simultaneously nonoreeding southern birds are expanamg, 
and vice versa. 
In addition to the major north and south radiation points mxe wet. 
Line Islands seem to have a small population and the Fiji Islands a 
fairly large population. The central regions, around the phoenix 
Islands and the Equator, are typically very low density areas. 
Ped-tailed Tropicbird # Obs. - 30 
Phaethon rubricauda 
Outside of the dry southern Line Islands and the Pnoenix group, 
birds are generally rare or absent in the southern waters. While Samca 
and Fiji supposedly support breeders only one sighting (Fiji) was re¬ 
corded for them. In the north, birds are expected in low numbers through¬ 
out the pelagic region. A very slight peak noted in the 12-degree area 
may represent birds from the nearest breeding location JonnSk.Oi.-bo...ci, 
or even the Leeward Island stations. At-sea numbers were low during 
these months which were generally nonbreeding periods. The winter rec¬ 
ords of banded birds collected off the Calixorma coasu agree veil v..u 
the noted decline of numbers on the central breeding grounds. 
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