4-13-23 
32 
& blue (basally) bill & full rich red of the feet and the white of the back. 
o 
w \ 
Instead it*s bill is a purplish throughout - a sort of blend of the two 
colors which separate into distinct areas in the. adult. The feet are a 
• * 
i 
faded pinkish red and the back is marred by occasional gray feathers. This 
% 
bird is the only one of the 3 which roosts with the nesting colony. It sits 
0 
beside an incubating bird in the ironwood tree, but I have not yet seen it 
incubate so am nou sure whether it is mated or not, tho I am temporarily 
assuming this to be the case. The other two are gone most of the day and 
when they come in roost in the cocoanut trees instead of with the colony. 
0 
These I am assuming are unmated immature birds. One has the full gray 
wings, gray back and pectoral band of the immature of last year. The other 
is half way between this bird and the subadult in plumage. The question 
t 
is: Does it take more than one year to reach maturity or are these 3 birds 
0 
*■ 0 
/ v * 
cases of delayed moult? I should say from watching these 3 birds that it 
t % 
certainly rakes them 2 years to attain full plumage and very possibly 3- 
All 3 immature birds have the unicolor purplish bill instead of the bi- 
color red & blue base-edging of maturity. 
Wetmore took a $ Puffinus nativitatis this morning with a fully formed 
egg in the oviduct ready to lay. 
One thing I forgot to mention about my pet Love Terns. They are so 
gentle and mothlike instead of tern-like in their silence that it surprised 
me to see one of them give chase, to a turnstone today that was invading the 
colony and drive him Eell-bent-for-election clear out of sight over the 
■m -r 1 
hi ! ! 
These cursed little turnstones just live in the colony wandering 
from end to end of it watching for an unguarded egg. 
.-.s we sal at lunch there was a terrific crash and we looked out to see 
CUT 
prised and sheepish Laysan Albatross picking himself up from the ground. 
Apparently h.e s> Sr forgot himself and his aerial habit as to perch on a 
